Former IH top doc paid $350,000 before going to jail for sex crimes

The criminally convicted former chief medical health officer earned one of the highest salaries of all executives at the Interior Health Authority last year.

Dr. Albert de Villiers is now serving a prison sentence for sexually assaulting a young boy in Alberta. He earned more than $300,000 from his employer before his conviction.

Including benefits, pension and vacation, de Villiers was the second-highest paid executive in 2022, with only Interior Health president and CEO Susan Brown surpassing his income, according to Interior Health documents.

de Villiers took home $252,916 from his salary, which jumped to $346,536 with his benefits and vacation payout, according to a CHNL report. Brown earned $351,327 in salary, totalling $449,647 with benefits.

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Interior Health payments to de Villiers ceased Feb. 7, which was the date of his conviction, while the fiscal year ended March 31.

The health authority changed his role after he was charged from chief medical health officer to "project medical health officer," according to Interior Health documents.

Interior Health wouldn't say whether he was actively working before his conviction because of "privacy obligations."

"Our process during this time aligned with the federal and provincial laws, including employment standards, human rights, occupational health and safety, privacy legislation, and principles of procedural fairness and, where relevant, union collective agreements," Interior Health said in a written statement.

de Villiers was charged in July 2021 for sexually assaulting the son of a family friend while living in Grande Prairie.

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He molested the young boy who once called him "uncle" between June 15, 2018 and July 31, 2020, just before de Villiers moved to Kelowna and began working for Interior Health.

de Villiers was sentenced in June to five-and-a-half years in prison after he was found guilty of both sexual assault and sexual interference of a minor. The judge said he not only assaulted the victim, but "groomed" him over time.

The Crown sought eight years in prison, while de Villiers' defence sought four.

Interior Health published its executive compensation disclosure on Aug. 30, but wouldn't confirm whether or not de Villiers will continue to receive any severance pay.

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It's unlikely he'll ever work in healthcare again, his lawyer said in court.

Court of King's Bench Justice Shaina Leonard in Alberta said he moved from Kelowna before his conviction because of "unwanted notoriety," but she noted it was inevitable given his role with the health authorities.

"His career has been left in ruin," Leonard said. "There is no circumstance in which he will be able to reclaim what he has lost."

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