Here's How Much McGill University's Principal Was Paid Last Year

In Quebec, all universities are required to submit annual financial reports, including senior management salaries, to the Minister of Higher Education. The government published McGill's report in early February, revealing high admin pays and making us wonder if it's too late to change careers and become a scholar.

Former Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier raked in a base salary of $492,543 between 2021 and 2022. Her reported salary was $13,642 higher in 2022 than it was in 2021.

But her compensation didn't stop there. McGill's former leader had additional "taxable elements" reaching $102,782 in value.

That's a total value of $595,325, though there was a major decrease in her additional taxable benefits. They had a value of $382,070 in 2021.

Principal and vice-chancellor of McGill since 2013, Fortier stepped down at the end of August 2022. Her replacement, Professor H. Deep Saini, will assume the role of principal on April 1, 2023.

The 2022 document sent to the government shows that other executives at the university have no reason to envy their boss.

Vice-Principal and Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Dean David Eidelman earned a base salary of $533,624 plus $9,521 in other taxable benefits, for a total value of $543,145.

The lowest-paid executive at McGill, Dean for Students Services Robin Beech, had a salary of $144,076 plus $3,527 in other taxable benefits.

Quebec universities disclose the salaries of senior administration officials in accordance with the provincial Act respecting educational institutions at the university level.

The university reports are public. You can find them by searching for university names in the archive of documents sent to the National Assembly. McGill's admin salaries declaration is on page 65 of the 2022 report.