The list of local public sector employees on the “Sunshine List” rose to 550 in 2016, up 27% from 433 in 2015.
The list of public sector employees in Ontario with a salary of at least $100,000 in 2016 was released on March 31.
The local list includes 59 municipal employees (down from 61 in 2015): 34 from Wellington County, 11 from Centre Wellington, three each from Erin, Guelph-Eramosa, Mapleton and Minto, and one each from Puslinch and Wellington North.
Officials with the province, which has released the Sunshine List annually since 1996, say they provide the figures to keep their commitment to openness and transparency.
According to the government, if the salary threshold was adjusted for inflation, it would be $149,424 in today’s dollars, reducing the number of employees included in the list by 84 per cent.
However, Premier Kathleen Wynne, who made $208,974 last year, has stated repeatedly over the last couple of years she does not plan on raising the threshold because $100,000 is still a lot of money for many people.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation said in a press release the government should “get a grip on bureaucrat pay,” noting the size of the Sunshine List grew by seven per cent over 2015.
“With Ontario’s debt blowing past $300 billion this past year, it’s high time the government reined in employee compensation costs,” said CTF Ontario director Christine Van Geyn.
“Regular Ontarians have average weekly earnings of $963, or $50,000 per year. When more than 123,000 government employees are earning twice that on the taxpayer dime, making some cuts should be a no-brainer.”
The highest paid employee in the Wellington County area is Bruce Lauckner, CEO of Waterloo-Wellington Local Health Integration Network. He made $324,523 in 2016. The WWLHIN has 11 Sunshine List employees with salaries ranging from $105,078 to $324,523.
Second on the local list with a salary of $301,340 is Dr. Nicola Mercer, medical officer of Health and CEO of Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. The health unit has 14 employees on the list, with salaries ranging from $108,878 to $301,340.
Municipalities
County employees on the list include:
– Scott Wilson, CAO, $215,396;
– Gordon Ough, county engineer, $159,672;
– Andrea Lawson, director of human resources, $159,669;
– Eddie Alton, social services administrator, $159,669;
– Gary Cousins, director of planning and development, $162,459;
– Kenneth Dehart, county treasurer, $159,669;
– Murray McCabe, chief librarian, $159,669;
– Janice Hindley, museum and Wellington Place administrator, $159,669;
– Laura Holtom, Wellington Terrace administrator, $143,097;
– Kevin Mulholland, construction and property manager, $134,546;
– Donna Bryce, county clerk, $132,242;
– Peg Mehlbauer, director of care, $126,143;
– Aldo Salis, manager of development planning, $123,942;
– Mark Paoli, manager of policy planning, $121,029;
– Mark Van Patter, manager of planning and environment, $120,932;
– Susan Aram, manager of financial services, $119,664;
– J. Paul Johnson, operations manager, $119,379;
– Susan Farrelly, assistant director of human resources, $117,728;
– Luisa Artuso, director of children’s early years, $117,728;
– Mark Eby, construction manager, $117,728;
– Stuart Beumer, director of Ontario Works, $117,728;
– Chanda Gilpin, assistant chief librarian, $117,556;
– Doug Waram, director of information technology, $115,614;
– Mark Bolzon, manager of purchasing and risk management services, $110,248;
– Tricia Burrough, resident care manager, $109,154;
– Harry Blinkhorn, housing operations manager, $108,372;
– Sean Farrelly, employment planning and strategic operations leader, $107,286;
– David Etherton, technology services manager, $106,670;
– Judith Goodall, registered nurse, $105,059;
– Sarah Wilhelm, senior planner, $104,524;
– Suzanne Schwartzen-truber, assistant administrator of Wellington Terrance, $102,867;
– Ram Das Soligo, manager of solid waste services, $102,867;
– Linda Redmond, senior planner, $102,225; and
– John O’Donnell, roads superintendent, $101,596.
Former Wellington County Warden George Bridge, though not included on the Sunshine list, made a combined $122,333 as county warden ($97,887) and Minto mayor ($24,446).
In Centre Wellington, 11 employees made the list:
– Andrew Goldie, CAO, $173,163;
– Wesley Snarr, managing director of corporate services, $138,571;
– Colin Baker, managing director of infrastructure service, $136,456;
– Brett Salmon, managing director of planning and development, $132,364;
– Brian Detzler, managing director of community service, $130,400;
– Bradley Patton, fire chief, $119,279;
– David Boyle, chief information officer, $115,608;
– Richard Hulley, manager of human resources, $112,980;
– Randal Bossence, chief building official, $108,213;
– Kerri O’Kane, manager of legislative service/clerk, $106,471; and
– Mark Bradey, financial manager/deputy treasurer, $103,581.
Of the remaining municipalities, 14 employees made more than $100,000 in 2016:
– Guelph-Eramosa: Ian Roger, CAO, $130,157;
– Guelph-Eramosa: Harry Niemi, director of public works, $111,062;
– Guelph-Eramosa: Linda Cheyne, director of finance, $105,989;
– Erin: Joseph Babin, water superintendent, $112,046;
– Erin: Dave Knight, roads foreman, $108,114;
– Erin: Dina Lundy, clerk, $107,569;
– Mapleton: Brad McRoberts, CAO, $130,982;
– Mapleton: Yufang Du, director of finance, $107,747;
– Mapleton: James Grose, manager of public works, $100,830;
– Minto: Bill White, CAO, $142,409;
– Minto: Gordon Duff, treasurer/deputy CAO, $107,167;
– Minto: Brian Hansen, public works director, $103,129;
– Puslinch: Karen Landry, CAO, $139,003; and
– Wellington North: Michael Givens, CAO, $106,904.
Provincial Parliament
Local MPPs, Ted Arnott in Wellington-Halton Hills and Randy Pettapiece in Perth-Wellington, made $129,254 and $116,550 respectively in 2016.
Education
The Wellington Catholic District School Board has 73 employees on the list, up from 36 last year, with salaries ranging from $100,339 to $196,797. Director of education Tamara Nugent tops the list.
Martha Rogers, director of education, made the most ($218,291) in 2016 for the Upper Grand District School Board. There are 202 employees, with salaries ranging from $100,051 to $218,291, on the UGDSB list this year, up from 174 last year.
Health and wellness
There are 20 local hospital workers on the list this year, including:
– Stephen Street, president and CEO for Groves Memorial Community Hospital and North Wellington Health Care Corporation (NWHC), $198,895;
– Marsha Martin, chief financial officer for Groves and NWHC, $118,297;
– Sherri Ferguson, chief human resources officer for Groves and NWHC, $113,354;
– Joy Carriere, registered nurse at Groves, $113,291;
– Lisette Columbus, patient care manager at Groves, $113,074;
– Melissa Layman, registered nurse at Groves, $111,360;
– Stephanie Pearsall, vice-president of patient services and chief nursing executive for Groves and NWHC, $106,927;
– Deborah Monahan, nurse practitioner at Groves, $105,689;
– Tanya Murtah, patient care manager at Groves, $103,115;
– Dan Brzak, senior project manager for Groves and NWHC, $102,909;
– Kaush Patel, manager of diagnostic imaging at Groves and NWHC, $101,784;
– Marleen McDougall, registered nurse at Groves, $101,737;
– Nora Bamsey, registered nurse, geriatric emergency management at NWHC, $101,412;
– Lori Woestenenk, registered nurse, geriatric emergency management at NWHC, $101,360;
– Tara Strathdee, registered nurse at Groves, $101,294;
– Gail Bridgewater, registered nurse, clinical resource leader at NWHC, $101,233;
– Valerie Droog, registered nurse, clinical resource leader at NWHC, $100,994;
– Diane McMillan, registered technologist at Groves, $100,574;
– Karen MacKenzie, registered nurse at Groves, $100,470; and
– Kathy Kooiman, registered nurse, geriatric emergency management at Groves, $100,391.
Along with 11 employees from the WWLHIN and 14 from WDGPH, there are 22 employees from the Waterloo Wellington Community Care Access Centre who were paid more than $100,000 last year. CEO Dale Clement ranks highest at $240,941.
The Canadian Mental Health Association of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin has five people on the list, ranging from $103,458 to $130,300 for director of adult services Don Roth.
The Children’s Aid Society of Guelph and Wellington has 16 people on the list, with salaries ranging from $100,508 to $150,137 for executive director Shelia Markle.
Executive director Silvana Castaldi, who made $105,351 in 2016, is the only employee of Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis on the list.
Police
Within the Wellington County OPP detachment, 101 employees made the list for 2016. The highest salary was for Sgt. Michael Ashley, with $195,625. Next was Inspector Scott Lawson, detachment commander, who made $155,248 last year.
Conservation
Credit Valley Conservation authority did not have any employees on the Sunshine list for 2016, but had 15 in 2014.
Maureen Pogue, CVC spokesperson, said the CVC is not included because the “total provincial funding we received last year was within conditions defined in the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act, 1996. Our total provincial funding in calendar year 2016 was more than $120,000 but less than $1 million and was below 10% of our gross revenues.”
The Grand River Conservation Authority has 22 employees on the list, up from 21 last year. The salaries range from $100,347 to $193,366 for CAO Joseph Farwell.
The Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority has one employee on the list, general manager Wayne Brohman, who made $100,684.
The Maitland Valley Conservation Authority did not have any members on the list for 2016.
The complete Sunshine List list can be found at: ontario.ca/page/public-sector-salary-disclosure.
