BC's new Minister of Health has a bit of a pay scandal to deal with.
Management employees of the Provincal Health Services Authority received wage hikes that directly contradict a government instruction to freeze salaries.
Terry Lake says the ministry and the PHSA Board only learned of the increases after the election - now the board is considering it's options.
"They are taking strong action which we support - these raises were given without knowledge of the board - but the board acts at the direction of government and that's why we are supporting their action to rectify the situation."
Lake says management is supposed to show leadership and also restraint -- and this move is a clear contravention of government direction.
The NDP Health Critic Judy Darcy says she has a few issues with this -- asking how the government can condemn the incident when they just announced raises for top political staff and only rescinded the hikes after public outcry -- and the fact the news is being released late on a Friday -- when she says items are often released in an attempt to bury the issue.