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Crown corporation CEO received $167,342 for expenses

The new CEO of the British Columbia Innovation Council, Dean Rockwell, racked up a total of $167,342 in expenses in the year he joined the Crown corporation.

The money was “primarily one-time relocation expenses,” said Lin Kishore, spokesperson for the government-owned BCIC. It included costs to bring Rockwell to B.C. from Atlanta, including moving costs, money to close the sale of his home and transportation, she said.

The announcement of Rockwell’s appointment called it part of B.C.’s “brain gain.” He had been working for Cisco Systems in Georgia.

Rockwell is a graduate of the B.C. Institute of Technology and Simon Fraser University, the Oct. 8, 2008, announcement said. “It is a pleasure to be back in British Columbia,” it quoted him saying.

BCIC paid Rockwell $86,925 in the year that ended March 31, 2009. His base salary is $169,000 per year.

Two consultant lobbyists registered with the province starting in Dec. 2008 to discuss “CEO compensation” on behalf of the BCIC, The Tyee recently reported.

The BCIC “is the lead organization charged with driving the commercialization of innovation in British Columbia,” according to its website.

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.


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