Everyone who FOI’d Judy Rogers’ severance package got their letter this morning on the amount, though not the full severance agreement. It was $571,788 — not the $700,000 that some people had been chattering about.
Still a whack of money, though. You can read my web file here from the Globe and I’ll have more tomorrow in the print edition.
One nice thing in all of this. Usually the city declines to give us media pests these severance amounts even when we FOI. I’m still waiting for appeals on this from past requests to be heard. But this time, the city decided to release the amount without an appeal. Yay. Perhaps this is part of the cost-cutting — they’re trying to save on costly staff time fighting appeals they always lose.
Extended Coverage:
The hefty severance package reflects the significant role Judy Rogers played in Vancouver’s municipal government. As the city’s first female city manager, Rogers wasn’t just another civil servant — she was a trailblazer who spent 25 years with the city, including 10 years in the top administrative role from 1999 to 2008 CBC News.
Rogers’ dismissal came just four days after Vision Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson’s inauguration, marking one of the new council’s first major decisions. According to closed-door meeting minutes from December 12, 2008, the move was part of Robertson’s “agenda for change.” Vision Councillor Geoff Meggs later explained that the council wanted someone who could “come in without a legacy and history of having made so many decisions” to reshape the city’s future direction.
The timing was particularly notable given Rogers’ impressive track record. She had been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network for five consecutive years (2003-2007) and received two United Nations public service awards. Her leadership had guided Vancouver through what officials described as “an extraordinarily dynamic period of growth,” including preparation for the 2010 Olympics, where she served on the Vancouver Organizing Committee board.
Rogers’ 2008 base salary of $309,000 makes the severance package — nearly double her annual pay — all the more striking. Her replacement, Penny Ballem, was hired at $303,000 for 2009, creating questions about whether the substantial payout was justified for what was described as an “agreed resignation.”
The native of Kimberley, BC, with degrees from UBC and the University of Victoria, Rogers didn’t fade from public life after her city hall departure. She continued to serve on various boards and was eventually appointed as the 20th Chancellor of the University of British Columbia in 2024, receiving the Order of Canada in 2017 for her outstanding contributions to public service.
