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Then again, it’s hard to fault Wall for not wanting to dwell on the issue of keeping public salaries in check — an issue in which neither he nor any other recent premier has had much success. And the recent Crown Investment Corporation 2016-17 Payee Disclosure Report — specifically, the section on SaskPower remuneration — bears that out. The annual disclosure of all Crown employee salaries (more than $50,000) hasn’t gotten much attention since it was released late last month, which is what both government and its employees would prefer.

The NDP Opposition did note significant raises for executives, including an 11.8 per cent raise for former SaskTel CEO Ron Styles (to $633,895 from $566,762) and a 7.2 per cent increase for SaskPower President Mike Marsh (to $481,169 from $448,500).

Supposedly overpaid Crown executives is always a great narrative for oppositions and especially NDP oppositions. And it’s especially good fodder when the government is proposing that 3.5 per cent, across-the-board pay reduction as the key component of the 2017-18 austerity budget strategy.

Even the five Sask. Party leadership hopefuls — who have generally avoided any real policy debate so far — are having a hard time avoiding this issue.

But one needs to peruse the payee list much beyond the SaskPower section to recognize this is an ingrained problem at the Crown electrical utility that goes well beyond its executives suite.

According to CIC’s annual salary list, 1,833 SaskPower employees made more than $100,000 in 2015-16. That’s 1,000 more six-figure earners at SaskPower than when Wall’s government first took office almost 10 years ago.