I need to remember not to drink coffee when reading the morning papers. The Victoria Times Colonist’s banner headline: “CLBC execs get raises after bonus eliminated” caused me to spit take, and I’ve been wiping down my iPad screen ever since.

From the story:

Senior executives at Community Living B.C. are getting pay raises to make up for a government decision last year to eliminate their performance bonuses, the Times Colonist has learned.

Social Development Minister Stephanie Cadieux confirmed Monday that the money senior managers previously earned as bonuses is simply being rolled into their base pay.

The only difference is that employees no longer have to hit targets to earn the money and will receive slightly less than they did in the past.

The three vice-presidents who previously earned up to 10 per cent of their base salary in bonuses will now get a permanent 9.66 per cent increase in salary. They earned a base salary of about $138,000 in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011, documents show.

Directors and managers, who previously earned bonuses of up to five per cent of base pay, will get 4.96 per cent and 4.93 per cent hikes respectively.

The salary increases affect 61 senior staff and will cost about $300,000 — the same amount that 60 senior staff previously earned in bonuses, the government confirmed.

First, great bit of reporting by the T-C, and Lindsay Kines in particular.

Second, what the h-e-double-hockey-sticks is wrong with government?

When CLBC exploded in controversy last year, we were clearly led to believe that the CLBC executive bonus scheme had been killed by government. Now we find out it was simply changed from bonus to salary? What planet are these politicians—and the CLBC Board—living on?

Now, full disclosure: I know Minister Stephanie Cadieux and I think very highly of her personally. But it is incredibly disappointing to see how this has evolved—that instead of reallocating the bonus money into frontline CLBC services, taxpayers are still lining executives’ pockets. This was a moment where government could have taken a hard line and likely had taxpayers line up in support behind them.

CLBC had 30 employees earn six figures last year. Six made more than $150,000, and one (former CEO Rick Mowles) made $210,393.05. Mowles was fired in October after the dysfunction in CLBC came to light. (This was still cheaper than the year before, when Mowles pocketed $230,804.)

If and when the BC Liberals are wiped out next year, as the polls indicate they likely will be, it will be missed opportunities to get tough on things like CLBC bonuses that have come back to haunt them.