The number of public sector employees in Ontario with a salary of at least $100,000 grew by more than 10 per cent in 2013 – and the list has grown by 82% over the last five years.
“That is completely out of line with the way the Ontario economy is going,” said Gregory Thomas, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation (CTF).
He questioned the “ridiculous” pay many public sector employees receive in comparison to their private-sector counterparts, noting, “It’s a bizarre situation.”
The number of Wellington-area individuals on the province’s annual “Sunshine List,” which was released on March 28, now includes 29 county employees, nine from Centre Wellington and six from the county’s six other lower tier municipalities.
The local list also includes 183 school board employees (down from 220 in 2012), over two dozen local OPP officers, and over 50 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 grew by over 10% to 97,796 in 2013 and it has nearly tripled in size since 2006, when 33,440 reached the $100,000 threshold.
Government officials have pointed out the average salary on the 2013 list was $127,433, a slight decline from 2012, and some argue that if the list was adjusted for inflation, the real benchmark salary should be closer to $145,000.
But Thomas, who took direct aim at the salaries of municipal employees, police officers and those in the education system, does not buy that argument.
“Government pay is growing out of proportion to the rate of growth … and the rate of pay in the economy,” Thomas told the Advertiser.
He added the types of salary packages and perks offered to Ontario public sector employees far exceed those offered “nearly anywhere else” in North America.
That is particularly troubling – and not at all sustainable – considering the provincial debt has doubled in the last 10 years, Thomas added.
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 $298,615 last year.
With a salary of $254,230, 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 29 Wellington County staff members, up 38% from 21 in 2012.
The number of county employees on the list has more than tripled since 2008, when just nine made over $100,000.
Warden Chris White said concerns about the number of county employees on the list are “understandable,” but he cautioned against simply looking at the numbers.
“Yes there’s more people on it and it’s a concern because we don’t want the list growing, but the fact is people stay in these positions for a long time,” White said in an interview with the Advertiser.
He explained anyone making over $100,000 is in a high-ranking position with the county, including several who exceeded the $100,000 threshold for the first time in 2013.
“We’ve had a bit of a jump this year … but it’s not like we’ve hired eight new people at $100,000,” White said. “No one wants to see the public sector (compensation) rising, but these are important positions.”
The list of county employees on the 2013 list includes:
– Sean Farrelly, employment planning leader, $100,436;
– Doug Waram, application services supervisor, $100,436;
– Mark Bolzon, purchasing and risk management manager, $100,491;
– Stuart Beumer, Ontario Works director, $102,102;
– Rob Moore, roads superintendent, $103,179;
– Mark Paoli, policy planning manager, $103,615;
– Harry Blinkhorn, housing operations manager, $103,630;
– Susan Aram, financial services manager, $103,888;
– Aldo Salis, development and planning manager, $104,364;
– Peg Muhlbauer, Wellington Terrace’s director of care, $106,027;
– Mark Eby, construction manager, $106,068;
– Mark Van Patter, planning and environment manager, $106,293;
– Jill Mainland, manager of resident care at the Wellington Terrace, $107,610;
– Donna Bryce, clerk, $110,869;
– Laura Holtom, assistant administrator at the Wellington Terrace, $110,869;
– Luisa Artuso-Della Croce, child care director, $110,869;
– Susan Farrelly, assistant director of human resources, $110,959;
– Paul Johnson, operations manager, $112,837;
– Douglas Konrad, solid waste services manager, $120,660;
– Kevin Mulholland, construction and property manager, $126,708;
– Ken DeHart, treasurer, $135,805;
– Murray McCabe, chief librarian, $141,756;
– Eddie Alton, social services administrator, $149,613;
– Peter Barnes, administrator of the Wellington Terrace, $150,364;
– Gary Cousins, planning and development director, $150,364;
– Janice Hindley, museum and Wellington Place administrator, $150,364;
– Andrea Lawson, human resources administrator, $150,364;
– Gord Ough, engineer, $150,367; and
– Scott Wilson, chief administrative officer (CAO), $202,836.
White, who is also the mayor of Guelph-Eramosa Township, was paid a total of $129,549 in salary and benefits last year, but he does not appear on the Sunshine List because his total is divided between the county ($98,250) and township ($31,299).
There were nine members of the $100,000 club in Centre Wellington in 2013, up from eight in 2012, including:
– Colin Baker, infrastructure director, $125,914;
– Les Davidson, public works superintendent, $100,058;
– Richard Hulley, human resources manager, $108,248;
– David Boyle, director of information technology and services, $108,601;
– Marion Morris, Clerk, $109,070;
– Brad Patton, fire chief, $111,403;
– Brett Salmon, planning and development director, $113,118;
– Wes Snarr, corporate services director, $117,954; and
– Andrew Goldie, CAO, $142,181.
The Township of Wellington North did not have anyone on the 2013 sunshine list, but the other five lower-tier municipalities each had at least one employee making over six figures.
They are:
– former Erin town manager Frank Miele, $162,259, including what appears to be a large payout after he was fired in May, less than a year after taking over the position;
– current Erin town manager Kathryn Ironmonger, $119,855;
– former Guelph-Eramosa CAO Janice Sheppard, who retired at the end of January, $112,028;
– Mapleton CAO Patty Sinnamon, $105,404;
– Minto CAO Bill White, $121,310; and
– Puslinch CAO Karen Landry, $100,964.
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 (appointed the Conservative party’s rural affairs critic with responsibility for the horse racing industry), made $116,550.
There are 40 Wellington Catholic District School Board employees in the $100,000 club (down 40% from 75 for 2012), with salaries ranging from $100,080 to $204,809 for director Don Drone.
At $205,798 Director Martha Rogers tops the list of 143 Upper Grand District School Board employees taking home over $100,000 (there were 145 in 2012).
Health and wellness
Members in the health care field making over $100,000 include:
– Deborah Monahan, nurse practitioner at Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Fergus, $100,496;
– Melissa Layman, registered nurse at Groves, $107,367;
– Chantal Yates, registered nurse at Groves, $107,730; and
– Sherri Ferguson, chief human resources officer for Groves and North Wellington Health Care (NWHC), which operates the hospitals in Mount Forest and Palmerston, $113,354;
– Marsha Martin, chief financial officer for Groves and NWHC, $118,297;
– Stephen Street, vice president of corporate services and planning for Groves and NWHC, $126,452;
– Diane Wilkinson, vice-president of patient services and chief nursing executive for Groves and NWHC, $132,386; and
– Jerome Quenneville, CEO, Groves and NWHC, $167,604.
Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) unit staff members on the list numbered 16 in 2013 (no change from 2012), including:
– Tricia Hardy, program manager, $101,357;
– Chuck Ferguson, program manager, $103,726;
– human resources manager Linda Yates and program managers Rosalyn Larochelle, Jennifer Macleod, Dawna Monk-VanWyck, Susan Otten and Shawn Zentner who each made $103,896;
– Thomas Craig, program manager, $108,899;
– Kristin Johnson, nurse practitioner, $113,957;
– Janice Tigert-Walters, chief nursing officer, $117,403;
– Rita Sethi, director, $125,615;
– Robert Thompson, director, $135,252;
– Andrea Roberts, director, $142,573;
– Carole Desmeules, director of finance, human resources and corporate services, $155,540; and
– Nicola Mercer, medical officer of health and chief executive officer, $298,615.
Also included locally are seven employees of the Waterloo-Wellington Local Health Integration Network (down from ten), whose salaries range from $121,413 to $254,230 for CEO Bruce Lauckner.
The Waterloo Wellington Community Care Access Centre boasts 14 members again in 2013 (up from 11 in 2012), with salaries from $101,744 to $171,938 for Jim Dalgliesh, senior director of corporate services.
The Children’s Aid Society of Guelph and Wellington has eight members on the Sunshine List (no change from 2012), with salaries ranging from $102,945 to $168,472 for executive director Daniel Moore.
Guelph-Wellington Women In Crisis has one employee on the list: executive director Silvana Castaldi, who made $103,207 last year.
Police
Wellington County OPP employees making over $100,000 in 2011 included:
– investigator Kevin Detweiler, $101,714;
– PC Greg Henderson, $102,249;
– PC Andrew Smith, $102,889;
– investigator Eric Ballantyne, $103,087;
– PC Rudy Bracnik, $103,175;
– Sergeant Roger Woods, $103,730;
– PC Adam Houser, $105,554;
– Constable Jody Bigger, $106,161;
– PC Rick Lytle, $106,516;
– team leader Patrick Horrigan, $107,014;
– Sergeant Don Clark, $107,121;
– team leader John Kummer, $107,960;
– team leader Robert Nixon, $108,656;
– PC Henry Van Dyk, $110,612;
– PC Steven Hunter, $111,361;
– Sergeant Shawn Jones, $112,682;
– PC Frank Thornton, $112,956;
– Staff Sergeant Susan Gray, $112,963;
– Sergeant Bob Uridil, $113,768;
– team leader Derrick King, $114,318;
– Sergeant Ron Smith, $115,289;
– Sergeant Caren Ashmore, $116,418;
– officer Todd Pridham, $119,741;
– Staff Sergeant Jack Hunjan, $124,712;
– Det. Sergeant Mary Louise Kearns, $127,057;
– Inspector Scott Lawson (detachment commander), $135,584; and
– Sergeant Michael Ashley, $154,272.
Others
The Advertiser was unable to find information on the Credit Valley Conservation Authority, which had 12 employees in the club in 2012, with salaries ranging from $101,520 to $160,238 for CAO Rae Horst.
The Grand River Conservation Authority had 14 members on the list in 2013 (up from 11 in 2012), whose salaries range from $101,003 to $166,715 for CAO Joe Farwell.
The Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority did not have any members on the Sunshine List for 2013, and the Advertiser was unable to locate any information on the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority.
Grand River Raceway general manager Dr. Ted Clarke, of the Grand River Agricultural Society, made $134,132 in 2013.
For the complete 2013 Sunshine List of civil servants making at least $100,000 visit www.fin.gov.on.ca.
