Education Minister Darin King said today the provincial government has been informed that the College of the North Atlantic made substantial errors which resulted in salary overpayments to some employees at the college's Qatar campus.
It is estimated that approximately 35 per cent of employees with contracts ending Dec. 21, 2010 and 30 per cent of employees with contracts ending Dec. 31, 2011 will be impacted by the errors.
Qatar employees enter into three-year contracts.
"We have recently been notified by the college that errors were made in determining salaries for employees of the Qatar campus and we are taking action to identify how these errors occurred and immediately address the current situation," King said. "We are bringing in an external consultant to conduct a review of this situation and recommend changes to ensure protocols are in place to prevent a similar occurrence in the future."
As a result of these salary overpayments, the college overcharged its management and benefits fees which are paid as a percentage by the State of Qatar to the college. A portion of these will now need to be re-paid to the state which is estimated to be in the range of $5 million.
"I want to assure employees of the Qatar campus that they will continue to receive their current salary for the remainder of their contract," King said. "We will continue to work with the college as they address this situation and assess the full financial impact of the errors."
The Qatar campus generates in excess of $6 million in annual net profits with proceeds used to support the college's Newfoundland and Labrador operations including its management information system, the purchase of capital equipment, and staffing for various strategic initiatives.
Errors result in salary overpayments at Qatar campus of CNA: Minister
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Published on
April 26, 2010
- Published on July 1, 2010
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Staff ~ The Telegram
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Comments
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- anne
- - July 2, 2010 at 15:05:35
how many employees involved? 5 mil is a LOT of money...if we're talking about maybe 50 - 100 employees thats tens of thousands extra on their cheques...and nobody questioned such a discrepency till now? sounds like more than just an accounting error to me
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- M
- - July 2, 2010 at 15:05:25
First - the salaries were calculated incorrectly from the beginning. The salaries quoted when contracts were signed were the salaries people were getting. They didn't just start suddenly getting extra money on their pay cheques.
Second - it costs you and the government nothing. The salaries paid to employees come from the government of Qatar - not from Newfoundland. -
- Get it straight
- - July 2, 2010 at 15:03:46
Nasty Nate, the 30% received what their contracts stated. Not crooks at all. They just didn't know that their contract salaries had been calculated incorrectly. If you signed an agreement to make a certain salary and were paid that salary, you are no thief!
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- Hilda
- - July 2, 2010 at 15:03:35
Why do they need to bring in an external consultant to review this situation ? Just fire the person responsible and get the next person down the line to start subtracting from go-forward payments enough to cover the overpayments prior to their contract expiration. Oh... I mean future payments, not go-forward payments.
(There are no experts left in this world, just a bunch of useless professionals.) -
- Nasty
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:59:29
Oh No! Not yet another Mistake! When is this going to end? So from all these costly errors, it seems that if you do this or that, obtain funds to which you are not entitled in government it is an error or mistake. Do the same in the private sector and find your rear end in a world of trouble.
What do the people need to do to have these crooks charged? 30+% people did not report that they were receiving more pay then they should have been? Did they think it was a gift?
Charge Them. If the bank makes an error and you take that and spend it, you pay it back yesterday with interest or wind up in jail. This is the same, no worse. This is taxpayers money. My money.
This government is a joke. Every one of them needs to be shown the door, PC, NDP and Liberal. Not a single member are fit to look after out best interests any further. -
- Wally
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:58:29
Understand me now!
Many CNAQ employees are Canadian. Many are Newfoundlanders. For most of the year they don't live in Canada or use any of the services of Canada - Medical services, etc.
Yet they pay the FULL amount of Canadian Federal and Provincial Taxes. I wonder if the provincial and federal governments will pay back the overpaid taxes on any overpaid salaries???? That could cut down the bill to the Qataries considerably.
Wally -
- DigDeeper
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:50:05
What is it going to cost the province when all these overpaid employees start drawing pensions?
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- Robert
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:44:25
Yet another 'inadvertant' mistake by the Williams government??? Is somebody going to be 'shot' over there for this latest mix up - or will the NL taxpayer be 'shafted' again?
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- diaspora
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:41:57
Similar to the huge retirement overpayments to teachers under Grimes watch. He did nothing!
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- Get your facts straight
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:38:52
TO Nasty Nate who stated:
What do the people need to do to have these crooks charged? 30+% people did not report that they were receiving more pay then they should have been? Did they think it was a gift? Charge Them.
Get your information correct before spouting off. The employees were given a salary contract with a final dollar amount; there was never a mention of a gift or that the employees were getting too much, nor are employees permitted to accept such GIFTS . The people affected are mainly instructors who left Canada to provide a better quality of living for their families, and now are asked to do with less, AND at no fault of their own.
The fault lies with the people involved with drawing up overseeing, and implementing the contracts, not the employees that sign them in good faith. -
- anne
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:55:44
how many employees involved? 5 mil is a LOT of money...if we're talking about maybe 50 - 100 employees thats tens of thousands extra on their cheques...and nobody questioned such a discrepency till now? sounds like more than just an accounting error to me
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- M
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:55:27
First - the salaries were calculated incorrectly from the beginning. The salaries quoted when contracts were signed were the salaries people were getting. They didn't just start suddenly getting extra money on their pay cheques.
Second - it costs you and the government nothing. The salaries paid to employees come from the government of Qatar - not from Newfoundland. -
- Get it straight
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:52:36
Nasty Nate, the 30% received what their contracts stated. Not crooks at all. They just didn't know that their contract salaries had been calculated incorrectly. If you signed an agreement to make a certain salary and were paid that salary, you are no thief!
-
- Hilda
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:52:17
Why do they need to bring in an external consultant to review this situation ? Just fire the person responsible and get the next person down the line to start subtracting from go-forward payments enough to cover the overpayments prior to their contract expiration. Oh... I mean future payments, not go-forward payments.
(There are no experts left in this world, just a bunch of useless professionals.) -
- Nasty
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:46:59
Oh No! Not yet another Mistake! When is this going to end? So from all these costly errors, it seems that if you do this or that, obtain funds to which you are not entitled in government it is an error or mistake. Do the same in the private sector and find your rear end in a world of trouble.
What do the people need to do to have these crooks charged? 30+% people did not report that they were receiving more pay then they should have been? Did they think it was a gift?
Charge Them. If the bank makes an error and you take that and spend it, you pay it back yesterday with interest or wind up in jail. This is the same, no worse. This is taxpayers money. My money.
This government is a joke. Every one of them needs to be shown the door, PC, NDP and Liberal. Not a single member are fit to look after out best interests any further. -
- Wally
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:46:29
Understand me now!
Many CNAQ employees are Canadian. Many are Newfoundlanders. For most of the year they don't live in Canada or use any of the services of Canada - Medical services, etc.
Yet they pay the FULL amount of Canadian Federal and Provincial Taxes. I wonder if the provincial and federal governments will pay back the overpaid taxes on any overpaid salaries???? That could cut down the bill to the Qataries considerably.
Wally -
- DigDeeper
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:32:34
What is it going to cost the province when all these overpaid employees start drawing pensions?
-
- Robert
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:23:21
Yet another 'inadvertant' mistake by the Williams government??? Is somebody going to be 'shot' over there for this latest mix up - or will the NL taxpayer be 'shafted' again?
-
- diaspora
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:18:51
Similar to the huge retirement overpayments to teachers under Grimes watch. He did nothing!
-
- Get your facts straight
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:13:50
TO Nasty Nate who stated:
What do the people need to do to have these crooks charged? 30+% people did not report that they were receiving more pay then they should have been? Did they think it was a gift? Charge Them.
Get your information correct before spouting off. The employees were given a salary contract with a final dollar amount; there was never a mention of a gift or that the employees were getting too much, nor are employees permitted to accept such GIFTS . The people affected are mainly instructors who left Canada to provide a better quality of living for their families, and now are asked to do with less, AND at no fault of their own.
The fault lies with the people involved with drawing up overseeing, and implementing the contracts, not the employees that sign them in good faith.
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