Hi Jean,
You have asked some great questions that many others are seeking the answers to. We all need to put pressure on the Directors to make this public information.
The Directors do have the ability and power to have meaningful input and set policy. Unfortunately, many of the Directors are misguided and rely too heavily on the opinions of the CEO. When in fact, the CEO is supposed to report to them as if they were his boss(es).
The CEO directs staff to make policy suggestions (ie: do the homework) and the Directors make the final decisions.
Imagine this. The CEO hires a company to suggest a pay structure for the society to follow. He has this company do a lecture at a board meeting for the Director's consideration. The Directors are then biased into thinking, "Heck, that sounds reasonable" and vote to accept. The ridiculous part? Obviously the CEO is going to hire a company that will suggest that he (as the CEO) receives a huge salary, right?
If I was a Director, I wouldn't care less how much other companies or non-profits were paying their staff because right now the BC SPCA can't pay those types of wages and benefit packages!
You're correct in thinking that there are staff who make a minimal wage. There are some spca branches that cannot even afford to pay staff. It is currently not consistent or fair.
It is sad to see the Head Office staff growing and growing, while the smaller branches have so little. It must make it difficult for the little branches to do fundraising when donors are not guaranteed that their dollars will be used in their own communities to directly help animals. Actually, it's probably like that for all the branches.
I strongly encourage you to send your questions in the form of a letter to the Directors. Make sure to email it to all of them. Don't just write to the CEO or the President. Many well-intended people have done this and it's impossible to know if all of those letters made it to Board meetings for all the Directors to read.