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Chief executives at Alberta’s agencies, boards and commissions will soon have to start paying for their own golf club memberships.

The government hopes to save $16 million by cutting salaries, abolishing bonuses and removing perks for top executives at 23 agencies, including the Workers’ Compensation Board, the Alberta Utilities Commission and the gaming and liquor commission.

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Severance pay will be capped at 12 months and other benefits, such as pension plans and health benefits, will be brought in line with the existing model in the Alberta government.

“What we found is that, up until now, determining compensation has been a bit of a free-for-all,” Finance Minister Joe Ceci told a news conference Friday at the Alberta legislature.

The bloated salaries were flagged twice by the auditor general since 2008 and Ceci pilloried the previous government for not addressing the issue.

“We’re changing things. We’re making it so you have to have competencies to get into (these) positions. It’s not who you know anymore, it’s what you know,” said Ceci.

The government used a third-party company to review a database of more than 200 public sector salaries across Canada and create a framework for the province. The base salaries of 10 CEOs will see a reduction due to the new pay structure.