Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act
Compensation Disclosure
Alberta's Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act requires public sector organizations, including UCalgary, to annually disclose compensation information for current and former employees whose compensation and/or severance meets or exceeds a prescribed threshold. Compensation information for all board members must also be disclosed, regardless of compensation level.
Recent changes to the Act lowered the disclosure threshold for public sector bodies to $130,000 for the 2026 compensation year, changed how the threshold will be adjusted in future years, and reduced reporting of severance from twice a year to once a year.
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Exemptions
Employees may apply for an exemption if publicly disclosing their compensation could unduly threaten their safety. No other exemption grounds are permitted under the legislation.
Employees who believe their safety may be at risk can apply for a personal exemption through the Government of Alberta. Applications must be submitted by Nov. 1 of the year before the disclosure is published.
Resources
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Frequently Asked Questions
All employees whose annual compensation and/or severance exceeds the threshold will appear on the compensation disclosure unless an exemption is granted by the government.
If your total 2026 earnings and/or severance exceed $130,000, your compensation may be disclosed under the requirements of this Act. All affected employees will receive notification of their potential inclusion on the compensation disclosure list.
No. Compensation includes more than an employee's annual salary and may vary from year to year. The amount reported can be affected by factors such as date of hire, leaves of absence, overtime, salary changes, and additional appointments or teaching duties.
The disclosure list includes:
- name
- position
- compensation: the total amount paid to an employee in a calendar year, plus the value of taxable benefits. It includes salary, allowances, supplements, and other earnings included in Box 14, 028, 104 or 105 of the T4/T4A slip.
- severance: compensation related to the end of employment. It can include payments made instead of notice, salary continuation arrangements, retiring allowances, and other payments made after employment has ended. These amounts are reported separately as severance in the disclosure.
- non-monetary benefits: benefits the university pays on an employee's behalf, such as health and dental coverage, pension contributions, long-term disability coverage, and CPP and EI contributions. The total value of these benefits is included in the compensation disclosure, but is not included in the calculation of the disclosure threshold.
All post-secondary institutions in Alberta are required to post on their institutional websites on or before June 30 of each year.
The disclosure list will be published on the University of Calgary and the Government of Alberta's websites.
The disclosure threshold will be updated annually to reflect changes in public sector wages in Alberta, based on wage settlement data published by the Government of Alberta.
Starting in 2019 in accordance with Reform of Agencies, Boards and Commissions (Post-secondary Institutions) Compensation Regulations, the university must disclose salary and/or severance contracts for the president during the previous calendar year.
Employees should feel no obligation to answer questions or defend their annual compensation. If you are contacted by members of the media, it is your choice how and if to respond, but if you would prefer, please refer them to Sean Myers, Manager, Media Relations.
For more information, please contact totalrewards@ucalgary.ca