TORONTO — Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne says it appears that this summer's Pan Am Games came in under budget, but the final numbers won't be known for up to a year.
The chair of the TO2015 Organizing Committee says the capital surplus for the Games, which wrapped up in August, was at least $56 million, and possibly $66 million.
He says preliminary, unaudited statements currently forecast a modest budget surplus.
But the Progressive Conservatives say they are concerned about the lack of transparency for the Games' estimated $2.5-billion budget and are asking the auditor general to conduct a full audit.
Wynne also defends the $5.7 million in bonuses that will be split among 53 executives at the organizing committee, with some getting as much as 100 per cent of their salary.
She says the same kinds of arrangements are in contracts for key officials at international sporting events around the world so there's a guarantee that specific targets and goals will be met.
Former deputy minister Saad Rafi, who was brought in by the Liberal government as CEO of the Pan Am Games after previous CEO Ian Troop was let go, is eligible for a $428,000 bonus.
"The Games were a huge success...and the reason that happened is because of the job the team did, and Saad Rafi led that team," Wynne said.
