The newly established Major Projects Office within the federal government will see its head receiving an annual salary ranging from $577,000 to $679,000, as per an official order issued recently. Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed Dawn Farrell, the former CEO and board chair of the Trans Mountain Corporation, to lead this Calgary-based office. This move aligns with the Liberal government’s commitment to expediting approvals for crucial infrastructure projects deemed to be of national significance, with the new office set to supervise this process.
The Prime Minister’s Office announced that the office will be headquartered in Calgary, with additional offices planned in other major Canadian cities. Farrell’s salary falls within the maximum range for CEOs of Crown corporations, as indicated on the government’s website. For perspective, the head of Canada Post earns between $506,000 and $596,000, while the salary of the CBC president ranges from $468,000 to $551,000.
With nearly forty years of experience in the energy sector, Farrell has held key roles such as executive vice-president at B.C. Hydro and CEO of TransAlta, a significant Canadian wind power producer. She assumed the role of CEO at Trans Mountain, the Crown Corporation managing the oil pipeline to Canada’s West Coast, in 2022. In 2021, Farrell’s total compensation from TransAlta amounted to $7.8 million, as per the company’s shareholders’ report.