The number of public sector employees in Ontario with a salary of at least $100,000 grew by 14 per cent in 2014, reaching 100,000 for the first time since the province started publishing the “Sunshine List” almost 20 years ago.
“It’s growing even faster than in the past,” said Christine Van Geyn, Ontario director of the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation (CTF).
She questioned the “huge” pay many public sector employees receive in comparison to their private-sector counterparts, noting, “It’s a really depressing situation.”
The provincial Sunshine List, which was released on March 27, has more than doubled in size since 2009.
The local list now includes 51 municipal employees (up 16% from 44 one year ago): 31 from Wellington County, 10 from Centre Wellington and 10 from five of the other six lower-tier municipalities in the county.
The local list also includes 193 school board employees (up from 183 in 2013), 90 local OPP officers, and over 70 in the field of health care and promotion.
The Ministry of Finance’s annual disclosure list includes the salaries of public sector employees making more than $100,000 a year before taxes, as well as their total taxable benefits.
The goal of the legislation on which the provincial list is based is to make the public sector more open and accountable, allow taxpayers to compare performance with compensation, and provide more details on how tax dollars are spent.
The provincial list, first established in 1996 by the Mike Harris government, grew by 14% to 111,440 in 2014 and it has more than tripled in size since 2006, when less than 35,000 reached the $100,000 threshold.
Some argue that if the list was adjusted for inflation, the real benchmark salary today should be closer to $145,000.
But Van Geyn noted the average household income in Ontario today is about $73,000.
“For people to suggest that $100,000 isn’t a lot of money anymore … [is] an insult to the taxpayers that are paying those salaries,” she told the Advertiser.
Premier Kathleen Wynne, who made $208,974 in 2014 (salaries for the premier and MPPs have been frozen since 2009), stated last week the government has no intention of increasing the Sunshine List’s $100,000 benchmark.
“It is still important for people to have that information … $100,000 is still a lot of money,” Wynne told the Toronto Star, adding the government is working to cap the salaries of “upper end” public-sector executives.
Van Geyn said the rate of increase of names on the Sunshine List is especially troubling considering repeated admissions from Ontario officials that the province needs to “tighten its belt” in order to address its $12.5-billion deficit.
“The government’s demonstrated no interest in controlling spending whatsoever,” she stated.
Dr. Nicola Mercer, medical officer of health with the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) unit, tops the Sunshine List in the Wellington County area, making $304,785 last year.
With a salary of $270,520, Waterloo-Wellington Local Health Integration Network CEO Bruce Lauckner is second on the local list.
Municipalities
The list of municipal employees in the $100,000 club includes 31 Wellington County staff members, up slightly from 29 in 2013.
The number of county employees on the list has more than tripled since 2008, when just nine made over $100,000.
County employees on the 2014 list include:
– Ian Murray, case worker, $101,168;
– Mark Bolzon, purchasing and risk management manager, $102,461;
– Sean Farrelly, employment planning leader, $102,461;
– Doug Waram, application services supervisor, $102,461;
– Michael Cushing, roads foreman, $102,740;
– Roman Delicart, multilingual access worker, $103,570;
– Stephen Walmsley, case presenting officer, $103,570;
– Chanda Gilpin, assistant chief librarian, $104,295;
– Stuart Beumer, Ontario Works director, $108,272;
– Harry Blinkhorn, acting director of housing, $108,272;
– Mark Paoli, policy planning manager, $108,627;
– Susan Aram, financial services manager, $110,182;
– Aldo Salis, development planning manager, $110,332;
– Peg Muhlbauer, Wellington Terrace’s director of care, $112,485;
– Mark Eby, construction manager, $112,527;
– Luisa Artuso, child care director, $113,095;
– Susan Farrelly, assistant director of human resources, $113,095;
– Mark Van Patter, planning and environment manager, $113,427;
– Paul Johnson, operations manager, $114,215;
– Laura Holtom, assistant administrator at the Wellington Terrace, $116,216;
– Donna Bryce, clerk, $127,488;
– Kevin Mulholland, construction and property manager, $128,753;
– Ken DeHart, treasurer, $145,711;
– Murray McCabe, chief librarian, $150,356;
– Eddie Alton, social services administrator, $153,375;
– Peter Barnes, administrator of the Wellington Terrace, $153,375;
– Gary Cousins, planning and development director, $153,375;
– Janice Hindley, museum and Wellington Place administrator, $153,375;
– Andrea Lawson, human resources administrator, $153,375;
– Gord Ough, engineer, $153,375; and
– Scott Wilson, chief administrative officer (CAO), $206,905.
There were 10 members of the $100,000 club in Centre Wellington in 2014, up from nine in 2013, including:
– Randal Bossence, chief building official, $100,935;
– Kerri O’Kane, clerk/legislative services manager, $106,014;
– David Boyle, chief information officer, $109,623;
– Richard Hulley, human resources manager, $111,561;
– Brad Patton, fire chief, $112,840;
– Brian Detzler, community services director, $116,646;
– Brett Salmon, planning and development director, $116,988;
– Colin Baker, infrastructure services director, $118,737;
– Wes Snarr, corporate services director, $124,322; and
– Andrew Goldie, CAO, $149,347.
The Town of Erin has four employees on the Sunshine List for 2014, up from two in 2013:
– road superintendent Larry Van Wyck, $101,667;
– finance director Sharon Marshall, $109,901;
– interim water superintendent Joseph Babin, $125,952; and
– town manager Kathryn Ironmonger, $132,403.
The Township of Wellington North did not have anyone on the 2014 Sunshine List, but the other four lower-tier municipalities each had at least one employee making over six figures.
They are:
– Minto treasurer/deputy CAO Gordon Duff, $100,263;
– Puslinch parks and public works director Don Creed, $103,125;
– Guelph-Eramosa CAO Kim Wingrove, $109,850;
– Puslinch CAO Karen Landry, $127,004;
– Minto CAO Bill White, $128,274; and
– Mapleton CAO Patty Sinnamon, $128,783.
Provincial Parliament
and educators
At Queen’s Park, Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott (also the house deputy chair) made $129,254 last year, while Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece made $116,550.
There are 42 Wellington Catholic District School Board employees in the $100,000 club (up slightly from 40 in 2013), with salaries ranging from $100,250 to $164,601 for corporate services superintendent Tracy McLennan. Don Drone, who retired last August after 15 years as the director of education and chief executive officer of the Catholic board, made $142,427 in 2014.
At $206,453, director Martha Rogers tops the list of 151 Upper Grand District School Board employees taking home over $100,000 (there were 143 in 2013).
Health and wellness
Members in the health care field making over $100,000 include:
– Elaine Monaghan, registered nurse at Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Fergus, $100,047;
– Marlene McDougall, registered nurse at Groves hospital, $100,226;
– Margaret Stevens, RN, diabetic educator at North Wellington Health Care (NWHC), which operates the hospitals in Mount Forest and Palmerston, $100,788;
– Dan Brzak, project manager for Groves and NWHC, $100,965;
– Joseph Gurney, manager of building services for Groves and NWHC, $100,967;
– Ross Mullen, IT manager for Groves and NWHC, $100,967;
– Kaush Patel, diagnostic imaging manager for Groves and NWHC, $100,967;
– Robert Young, Allied Health Services manager for Groves and NWHC, $100,967;
– Gianni Accettola, patient care manager at NWHC, $100,989;
– Jean Locking, RN at NWHC, $101,398;
– Diane McMillan, registered technologist at Groves, $102,061;
– Gail Bridgwater, RN, clinical resource leader, $102,295;
– Lisette Columbus, patient care manager at Groves, $102,823;
– Lori Woestenenk, RN, geriatric emergency management at NWHC, $103,564;
– Nora Bamsey, RN, geriatric emergency management at NWHC, $103,782;
– Melissa Layman, registered nurse at Groves, $104,848;
– Deborah Monahan, nurse practitioner at Groves, $106,478;
– Doris Cassan, patient care manager at Groves, $114,422;
– Sherri Ferguson, chief human resources officer for Groves and North Wellington Health Care (NWHC), which operates the hospitals in Mount Forest and Palmerston, $117,714;
– Kathy Wortley, patient care coordinator at Groves, $118,520;
– Chantal Yates, RN, patient care coordinator at Groves, $122,122;
– Marsha Martin, chief financial officer for Groves and NWHC, $122,847;
– Stephen Street, vice president of corporate services and planning for Groves and NWHC, $131,314;
– Diane Wilkinson, vice-president of patient services and chief nursing executive for Groves and NWHC, $137,478; and
– Jerome Quenneville, president and CEO, Groves and NWHC, $226,265 (up from $167,604 in 2013).
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) unit staff members on the list numbered 15 in 2014 (down from 16 in 2013. The five highest paid public health workers include:
– Rita Sethi, director, chief nursing officer, $132,247;
– Andrea Roberts, director, $136,783;
– Robert Thompson, director, $136,783;
– Carole Desmeules, director, $157,298; and
– Nicola Mercer, medical officer of health and chief executive officer, $304,785.
Also included locally are nine employees of the Waterloo-Wellington Local Health Integration Network (up from seven), whose salaries range from $101,610 to $270,520 for CEO Bruce Lauckner. Chief strategy officer Toni Lemon made $210,373.
The Waterloo Wellington Community Care Access Centre boasts 18 members again in 2014 (up from 14 in 2013), with salaries from $101,273 to $198,046 for CEO Gordon Milak.
The Canadian Mental Health Association of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin had 10 members on the $100,000 list, ranging from $100,546 to $181,752 for executive director Fred Wagner.
The Children’s Aid Society of Guelph and Wellington has eight members on the Sunshine List (no change from 2013), with salaries ranging from $100,814 to $179,309 for executive director Daniel Moore.
Guelph-Wellington Women In Crisis has one employee on the list: executive director Silvana Castaldi, who made $105,000 last year.
Police
Ninety out of a total of 132 Wellington OPP uniform officers made over $100,000 in 2014, with the highest salary belonging to team leader Michael Ashley, at $164,533.
Inspector Scott Lawson, the detachment’s commander, made $154,097 last year.
Others
Credit Valley Conservation had 15 employees in the club in 2014, with salaries ranging from $100,291 to $170,408 for CAO Deborah Martin-Downs.
The Grand River Conservation Authority had 23 members on the list in 2014 (up from 14 in 2013), whose salaries range from $100,247 to $182,786 for CAO Joe Farwell.
The Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority did not have any members on the Sunshine List for 2014, nor did the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority.
For the complete 2014 list visit www.ontario.ca/government/public-sector-salary-disclosure.
