The Board of Governors of Kwantlen Polytechnic University has released two reports on executive and senior administrator compensation practices in effect at the university during the review period of April 1, 2010 to June 30, 2014.
The reviews were requested by the board and the president following the release last June of the results of Assistant Deputy Minister Rob Mingay’s compensation review, which examined pre-employment payments to two senior KPU administrators, one current and one former.
After reviewing the Mingay report, KPU pledged to rectify any deficient processes and procedures.
To that end, the board engaged MNP LLP to conduct an internal audit of human resources processes and controls during the review period. MNP was asked to review and report on the processes and controls related to the employment, compensation and accountability reporting for KPU’s executive managers.
The report includes 24 recommendations, all of which have been accepted by the board.
As well, the board retained Harris & Company LLP to provide advice and recommendations regarding KPU’s compliance with statutory, government and internal KPU requirements in relation to the terms and conditions of employment and compensation that KPU provided to its executives and senior administrators during the same review period.
The Harris report did not find substantial deviations from the statutory, government and internal KPU requirements. However, some instances of non-compliance were found. According to the report, these instances “resulted from lack of awareness, inadequate policies and practices for ensuring compliance, and in some cases ambiguity in the requirements.”
That report includes eight recommendations, all of which have also been accepted by the board.
KPU President Alan Davis will now proceed to implement and oversee a plan to address each of the recommendations from these reports.
“KPU’s Board of Governors has reviewed both the Harris report and the results of the MNP internal audit and KPU will attend to all recommendations promptly. Regular reports will be provided to the board and to the public on KPU’s progress on these matters,” said Kristan Ash, Chair, KPU’s Board of Governors.
“KPU is fully committed to being compliant and is already making progress on a number of issues identified by MNP,” Ash added. “In addition, the university has already adopted the government’s Taxpayer Accountability Principles and the province’s new Public Sector Executive Compensation Reporting Guidelines.”
“This has been a significant undertaking,” Ash said. “The board agreed to invest $250,000 for a fulsome review of this matter. We understand and accept the importance of acting quickly to remedy any issues and to reporting on progress as it is made.
“KPU is committed to the principles of transparency and accountability throughout this process, beginning with the release of these reports and the management response to the recommendations,” said Davis.
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The reports contain third party personal information. As a public body governed by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, KPU has a duty to protect personal information from access outside of Canada. Accordingly, KPU will not be posting these reports to its website, where they can be accessed anywhere in the world. Copies of the report will be made available at each of KPU’s libraries. Copies will be emailed to media outlets on request. Please contact communications@kpu.ca.
A copy of the management response to the recommendations will be made available on the KPU website at www.kpu.ca/president/transparency-and-accountability.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been serving the Metro Vancouver region since 1981, and has opened doors to success for more than 250,000 people. Four campuses—Richmond, Surrey, Cloverdale and Langley—offer a comprehensive range of sought-after programs, including business, liberal arts, science, design, health, trades and technology, horticulture, and academic and career advancement. Over 19,000 students annually have a choice from over 124 programs, including bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates citations and apprenticeships. Learn more at www.kpu.ca.
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t: 604.599.2883
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hayley.woodin@kpu.ca
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