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Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Fired hospital CEO eligible for $1M severance, but Niagara won’t be paying it

Fired Niagara Health chief executive officer Dr. Tom Stewart will receive a severance of more than $1 million, but it won't be paid by the Niagara hospital group.

Stewart had been hired by Niagara through a contract with the executive's main employer, Hamilton-based St. Joseph's Health System.

His agreement with St. Joseph's makes him eligible for 24 months of severance and the hospital board confirmed this week that it fired Stewart without cause.

That makes him eligible for up to two years of his annual $552,500 salary with St. Joseph's. He also earned a bonus of up to $97,500 but that is not part of his severance package.

Stewart also received six weeks of vacation annually and a monthly car allowance of $2,000.

A copy of Stewart's contract went missing from St. Joseph's website late last week. It was reposted online after inquiries from The Lake Report asking for a copy of the agreement, which is considered a public document.

He was fired, first by Niagara Health and later by St. Joseph's, days after he admitted taking a Christmas holiday to the Dominican Republic in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lynn Guerriero, current president of Niagara Health, was named president and interim CEO.

 

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