BC Minister under fire as emails contradict earlier claims in compensation probe

BC Minister of Advanced Education Amrik Virk is facing criticism after the provincial opposition released a series of emails contradicting his earlier account of his involvement in determining compensation for senior administrators at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. The Vancouver Sun and The Province report that the emails suggest that as a member of Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s board of governors, Virk was involved in a plan to circumvent provincial pay limits for senior administration. The new information calls into question an earlier government report that found that Virk and the other members of the Kwantlen board at the time had no knowledge of a plan to offer pre-employment contracts that would allow the institution to offer compensation beyond the provincial cap. At the time when the initial report was being prepared, Virk told Assistant Deputy Minister Rob Mingay that he had disclosed all information he had that was pertinent to the investigation. Now, he says that the emails have “refreshed [his] memory.” “These emails are from an old account that I haven’t had access to since I retired from the RCMP. Now that I have these emails, I will forward them to Mr Mingay for review,” Virk said. BC Finance Minister Mike de Jong has asked Mingay to determine whether his conclusions should be revised based on the new evidence. Vancouver Sun | The Province