Advertisement

Cost to fix Phoenix pay system rises to $25M; wipes out one-third of savings

Deputy Minister of Public Works and Government Services Marie Lemay (right) and and associate assistant deputy minister Rosanna Di Paola speak to reporters during a technical briefing on the Phoenix pay system on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016 in Ottawa.
Deputy Minister of Public Works and Government Services Marie Lemay (right) and and associate assistant deputy minister Rosanna Di Paola speak to reporters during a technical briefing on the Phoenix pay system on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

OTTAWA – The cost of fixing problems with the federal government’s new payroll system continues to soar.

Marie Lemay, deputy minister of Public Works and Government Services, says measures adopted to deal with a backlog of nearly 77,000 pay issue claims have already cost $25 million.

Breaking news from Canada and around the world sent to your email, as it happens.

But while Lemay says that amount is certain to climb, it will be weeks before her department knows just how much higher.

READ MORE: New cases emerge as government approaches ‘critical mass’ of complaints

The previous Conservative government had estimated that adoption of the so-called Phoenix system would save the federal treasury $70 million annually.

Lemay can’t say whether any of those savings will be achieved as a result of the system’s failures.

Story continues below advertisement

Officials say another 69 civil servants came forward in the last week, reporting they weren’t being paid at all.

Sponsored content

AdChoices