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Unbelievable
by Marshall Mon 01 Jul 2019, 9:14 pm
General's apartment rental tab picked up by taxpayers for the last seven years
David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen
July 1, 2019
David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen
July 1, 2019
Marshall- Registered User
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Join date : 2019-03-22
Re: Unbelievable
by Forcell Mon 08 Jul 2019, 9:43 am
SCOTT TAYLOR: Top officer used housing-allowance benefit for own gain
Scott Taylor
Published: July 8, 2019
Scott Taylor
Published: July 8, 2019
Lt.-Gen. Paul Wynnyk. - DND / File
Last week, Postmedia broke the story that Canada’s vice chief of the defence staff has been collecting benefits known as imposed restriction (IR) allowance for the past seven years.
Lt.-Gen. Paul Wynnyk was first posted to Ottawa as the deputy commander of the army back in 2012. At that juncture in his long military career, Wynnyk chose not to move his wife to Ottawa from Edmonton, and instead he made the choice to live and work on his own in the nation’s capital.
By keeping Edmonton as his primary residence, Wynnyk was entitled to collect $1,600 in rent allowance per month and an additional $100 for parking in IR benefits. More importantly, under this arrangement, his wife could retain her job as associate clinical professor in the department of dentistry at the University of Alberta.
So far, so good. The policy of IR benefits is designed for exactly that purpose of avoiding the trauma and cost of uprooting entire families in the short term. However, as Wynnyk’s career progressed, he was promoted and appointed to a series of positions, which were all based in Ottawa.
Thus, the short term evolved into a full seven years and the tab for Wynnyk’s ongoing IR allowance is now over $140,000 in total.
For the record, the average timeframe for a service member to collect IR would be about six months, and the military admitted that it is extremely unusual for that allowance to be paid in excess of five years.
That was the gist of the news story. At no point was it ever even insinuated that Wynnyk had done anything illegal. It was simply noted that the general’s choice comes at a substantial cost to taxpayers.
What was bizarre was the statement issued by the Department of National Defence to justify Wynnyk’s extended IR benefits. “The bottom line is that Lt.-Gen Wynnyk has graciously agreed, time after time, to support the Canadian Armed Forces in its Ottawa HQ so that we can all take benefit from his experience, guidance and leadership while serving well past his eligibility for a full pension at 35 years in the CAF. He has sacrificed his own needs to benefit the institution, for which we are grateful.”
This official statement makes it sound like Wynnyk was volunteering his time to serve Canada out of the goodness of his heart. For the record, a lieutenant general makes in the neighbourhood of $250,000 a year. Hardly chump change, and by not moving his wife to Ottawa she retained her job at the university. That was their personal choice.
As for noting that Wynnyk had served his maximum pension eligibility of 35 years, that is a bit of an attempt to mislead.
Service members accumulate their pension at a rate of two per cent per year served to a maximum of 35, which equals 70 per cent. That percentage is then based on the average annual salary for the service member’s five highest paid years. So, while Wynnyk cannot increase his percentage, he can, and has, added to his actual pension payout by increasing that five-best-year-average total.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have known Wynnyk for many years and consider him to be a highly capable and well-respected senior officer. That being said, the insinuation in DND’s statement is that the Canadian Armed Forces are depending upon Wynnyk’s expertise, guidance and leadership. The problem with that comment is that it does a disservice to the equally professional and equally talented 130 general officers and flag officers currently serving. That’s correct folks, Canada has a total of 130 generals and admirals.
It should also be remembered that for the past year Wynnyk was serving as VCDS in place of the suspended Vice Admiral Mark Norman, another individual who embodied expertise, guidance and leadership, but I digress.
The simple truth of the Wynnyk story is that he followed an existing policy and stretched the rules without breaking them. If he had to make any sacrifice to his lifestyle, this was purely due to his own personal choice. It was not as if he was deployed on a seven-year posting to Afghanistan and deprived of being with his family.
The military lifestyle is considered to be a nomadic one. It is also understood that extended separations from family are a hardship, and that is why benefits like IR exist.
Wynnyk played both sides of that coin at the taxpayers' expense and to his own benefit.
Forcell- CF Coordinator
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Join date : 2017-10-08
Re: Unbelievable
by Forcell Wed 10 Jul 2019, 9:09 am
July 9, 2019
Vice-chief of defence staff resigns, citing plan Mark Norman was to replace him
By Jesse Ferreras and Mercedes Stephenson Global News
Vice-chief of defence staff resigns, citing plan Mark Norman was to replace him
By Jesse Ferreras and Mercedes Stephenson Global News
ABOVE: The vice-chief of defence staff Lt.-Gen. Paul Wynnyk has decided to resign, according to a letter obtained by Global News.
The second in command of Canada’s military Lt.-Gen. Paul Wynnyk is resigning after he said Chief of the Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance planned to replace him as the vice-chief of the defence staff with Vice-Admiral Mark Norman.
Vance then reversed that plan weeks later, according to Wynnyk, when Norman settled with the government and retired from the military.
The allegations are laid out in a letter dated Tuesday that was obtained exclusively by Global News.
Lt.-Gen. Paul Wynnyk writes in the letter addressed to his boss, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance, that he took up the job of vice-chief with a plan to retire in 2020 after he initially expected to enter post-work life this summer.
However, matters changed for Wynnyk after Vance told him in May that he planned to restore Norman as second in command of Canada’s military shortly after a breach of trust charge against him was stayed by the Crown over lack of evidence.
Wynnyk writes Vance advised him that his “continued service as the VCDS [vice-chief of defence staff] was no longer in the best interests of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), that you [Vance] intended to restore Vice-Admiral Norman to the position, and that this decision presented you with a dilemma with regard to my future employment,” the letter said.
However, the settlement that the federal government reached with Norman last month “has made it clear that he is no longer returning to the post of VCDS,” the letter added.
That settlement followed mediation sessions that led to the announcement that Norman will be retiring from the military, despite being cleared of the allegations against him.
Wynnyk said he was advised that he could continue to serve in the job until the summer of 2020.
“While I appreciate the change of heart, I respectfully decline and intend to take my release from the Canadian Armed Forces as expeditiously as possible,” he wrote.
Wynnyk was the fifth vice-chief to serve under Vance, and questions are now being raised about his leadership, senior military sources told Global News.
There are now questions about who will fill the job next. No one appears to be ready, the sources said.
Last month, Norman and the federal government announced plans for the vice-admiral to retire from the Canadian Forces over a month after Crown prosecutors stayed a breach of trust charge against him.
Norman’s charge came in connection with the 2015 leak of government secrets that revealed the newly-elected Liberals were considering freezing a $700-million interim supply ship deal inked by the former Conservatives.
Norman was accused of the leak, which government officials told the RCMP in court documents forced their hand in formally approving the deal and prompted a frenzied hunt for who supplied the material to the media.
In a statement issued by the Department of National Defence, Wynnyk said he is leaving the armed forces after a 38-year career that “took me farther, and challenged me more deeply, than I could ever have imagined.”
“I would like to thank the chief of the defence staff, Gen. Jon Vance, for the confidence he showed in me when he appointed me as the vice-chief and for his leadership of the CAF during what have been challenging times recently.”
Vance thanked Wynnyk for his “tireless contribution and sacrifice to our country.”
“He has been an exceptional leader and an even better friend,” he said.
Forcell- CF Coordinator
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Re: Unbelievable
by Zoneforce Wed 10 Jul 2019, 1:13 pm
Wynnyk Resigns Abruptly and Who Do You Take Pictures With??
CanadaPoli
Published on Jul 10, 2019
CanadaPoli
Published on Jul 10, 2019
Zoneforce- News Coordinator
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Re: Unbelievable
by Forcell Thu 11 Jul 2019, 9:39 am
July 10, 2019
Canadian military’s second-in-command defends boss after resignation leaks
Canadian military’s second-in-command defends boss after resignation leaks
Forcell- CF Coordinator
- Posts : 539
Join date : 2017-10-08
Re: Unbelievable
by vet1 Thu 11 Jul 2019, 9:49 am
Another fine specimen to go to politics or job at VAC and 'represent' veterans.
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Re: Unbelievable
by Zoneforce Fri 12 Jul 2019, 1:22 pm
July 12, 2019
Roy Green: Chaos at the top of Canada’s military
Roy Green: Chaos at the top of Canada’s military
Zoneforce- News Coordinator
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Join date : 2017-10-11
Re: Unbelievable
by Viper Fri 12 Jul 2019, 5:10 pm
July 12, 2019
Lt-Gen. Jean Marc Lanthier named new Canadian Forces vice chief after surprise resignation
By Staff The Canadian Press
Lt-Gen. Jean Marc Lanthier named new Canadian Forces vice chief after surprise resignation
By Staff The Canadian Press
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