P.E.I. Opposition questions role of senior adviser for Charlottetown within health department

P.E.I.'s Official Opposition says it wants to know why a six-figure salary within the Department of Health and Wellness is going to a senior bureaucrat to advise the minister of health on issues related to economic development within the capital region. 

Neil Stewart, former deputy minister of finance under the previous Liberal administration, has been named senior adviser responsible for greater Charlottetown, working within the office of Health Minister James Aylward.

"We're still waiting for more clarity in terms of what the position actually entails and what the purpose of the position might be," said Opposition health critic Trish Altass, who first learned about the position through budget debate in the legislature in July.

Altass said understanding the goals and objectives of the position will help her determine "whether or not we feel or I feel that it is a necessary expense."

Significant increase in salary expenses

During budget debate Altass questioned Aylward about a significant increase in salary expenses for his ministerial office.

Aylward replied that the bulk of the increase was for the advisory position. According to budget documents, the salary range for the position is $123,838 to $160,873, the same range as for a deputy minister.

"When I was given the privilege of being named as the minister of health and wellness, the premier also bestowed upon me the responsibility for ministerial authority over the greater Charlottetown area, Charlottetown, as well as Cornwall and Stratford," Aylward told the House.

At the time the PCs had no MLAs representing districts in Charlottetown or Summerside. But since then PC candidate Natalie Jameson won a byelection to become the MLA for Charlottetown-Hillsborough Park.

Altass now questions whether Aylward will remain minister responsible for the Charlottetown area, and whether the new position in his department is a long-term one.

Many demands on health-care dollars

She noted there are many other demands right now for government health-care dollars.

"We are facing shortages in so many areas, in our doctor recruitment, and in trying to support the recruitment and retention of nurses and other staff. We have a mental-health crisis….  There's just so much need throughout our health-care system," Altass said.

"So if it were a matter of the possibility of reallocating money, I think we would have to look very carefully at where the funding is coming from, and is it the most appropriate place through the Department of Health?"

A government spokesperson confirmed via email that, while the funding is through the Health Department, the position is "not related to the Department of Health, but rather the minister's duties as it relates to being a voice for the greater Charlottetown area at the cabinet table."

The spokesperson said Stewart "is working on a variety of economic files related to the greater Charlottetown area.... The initial file that he is focused on is revitalizing [the] Charlottetown Area Development Corporation."

Government said the position is excluded, meaning it's not part of a collective bargaining agreement and can be filled by government appointment, without requiring a competition.

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