‘Sunshine list’ includes 16% more municipal employees

WELLINGTON COUNTY – The number of local municipal employees paid over $100,000 per year went up by 16 per cent in 2025.

Their salaries are published by the province as part of the Public Sector Salary Disclosure List – more commonly known as the “sunshine list” – of all civil servants making more than $100,000.

Last year's list was published on March 27 and featured just over 400,000 names.

The top public sector earner in the area was again Dr. Nicola Mercer, medical officer of health and CEO of Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH), at $356,340.

Municipal employees

The County of Wellington and its lower-tier municipalities paid 268 employees at least $100,000 in 2025, an increase of 16 per cent from 2024 (231 people) and 60% since 2023 (168).

CAO Scott Wilson was once again the county’s highest-paid employee, with a salary of $330,030, a 7% increase from $309,163 in 2024 and an 11% jump from $297,107 in 2023.

Forty-three Centre Wellington employees are on the 2025 list, up from 41 in 2024 and 27 in 2023. The township’s highest paid employee last year was CAO Dan Wilson at $256,422.

Twenty Erin staff members made the list, a significant jump from nine in 2024. The highest paid employee was CAO Rob Adams, who was paid $250,648 in 2025, a 47% increase from 2024.

Mapleton paid 12 staffers over $100,000, up from nine in 2024, with the highest paid employee being CAO Manny Baron at $199,652.

Wellington North had nine employees on the list, unchanged from 2024. CAO Brooke Lambert was once again the township's highest paid employee at $180,850.

In Guelph/Eramosa, nine employees were paid over $100,000, with CAO Ian Roger receiving the most, at $216,658.

Minto had 12 people on the list, down from 13 in 2024, led by CAO Gregory Furtney at $177,074.

Eight Puslinch employees made the 2025 list, up two from 2024. The township's highest paid employee was CAO Courtenay Hoytfox at $183,315.

Health care

The number of North Wellington Health Care (NWHC) employees on the list increased from 40 in 2024 to 44 in 2025, but still down from 50 in 2023.

Salaries for employees of NWHC, which operates hospitals in Palmerston and Mount Forest, ranged from $102,000 to $178,286 for registered nurse clinical resource lead Michelle Goetz.

Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Centre Wellington has 80 employees listed, up from 61 in 2024. Topping the Groves list is president and CEO Angela Stanley, who earned a salary of $277,884, up 17% from 2024.

WDGPH has 47 employees listed, up from 35 in 2024, with salaries ranging from $100,046 to $356,340 for Mercer.

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) has 22 staffers on the list, up from 19, with salaries ranging from $101,012 to $219,215.

Guelph-Wellington Paramedic Services (GWPS) employees are officially employed by the City of Guelph, but the area they serve includes Wellington County.  The 2025 GWPS list includes 128 names, four more than in 2024 and 26 more than in 2023.

The highest paid GWPS employee was general manager and chief Stephen Dewar, with a salary of $207,662.

Education

At the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB), 1,805 employees made the Sunshine List in 2025, down from 2,029 in 2024.

Twelve UGDSB employees’ salaries surpassed $200,000 – up from four in 2024:

• director of education Peter Sovran, $276,027;
• associate director Eystratia Giannopoulos, $257,339;
• associate director Brent McDonald, $228,779;
• technical support manager Sandro Buffone, $222,334;
• superintendent of student achievement Wendy Donaldson, $217,248;
• manager of application development Guangzhao Yang, $213,390;
• human rights equity and accessibility commissioner Alicia Ralph, $208,827;
• superintendent of people leadership and culture Deirdre Pyke, $207,981;
• chief information and security officer John Mccormick, $206,891;
• senior facilities manager Dilip Parmar, $206,815;
• executive superintendent Shelley Riddell, $206,730; and
• information, communication technology infrastructure manager Peter Scantland, $201,596.

At the Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB), 410 employees earned over $100,000 in 2025, down from 463 in 2024.

Only one was paid over $200,000: director of education Michael Glazier at $229,452.

Conservation

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) has 44 employees on the 2025 Sunshine List, seven more than in 2024 and 15 more than in 2023. 

CAO Samantha Lawson’s salary was $232,896 in 2025, up 11% from $208,902 in 2024. Other salaries ranged from $100,414 to $189,400.

At Credit Valley Conservation, 67 employees are listed, up from 54 in 2024. The top salary in 2025 was $197,664 for CAO Terri Leroux.

Policing

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has 7,698 employees on the 2025 Sunshine List, up 32% from 5,825 in 2024. Of these, 10 earn salaries exceeding $300,000.

The highest 2025 salary went to OPP commissioner Thomas Carrique at $468,523. Physician Andrew Reed brought home the second largest sum of $434,205.

Without knowing the name of every Wellington County OPP employee, it is next to impossible to discern how many are on the list.

Wellington OPP detachment commander Karen Medeiros was paid $212,257 in 2025.

Members of Parliament

Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Joseph Racinsky was paid $148,113 in 2025.

Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae brought home $176,458 in 2025, compared to $133,217 the previous two years. Rae served part of the year as chief government whip.

Premier Doug Ford made $269,567 in 2025, when he received his first pay increase since 2020. The premier’s previous salary was $208,974.

Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong and Perth-Wellington MP John Nater are not included in the provincial Sunshine List because they are federal employees. 

MPs are paid about $210,000 annually, though members can be paid more for additional roles.

Social services

Five employees at Community Living Guelph Wellington made between $104,857 and $164,592 in 2025. 

The Children’s Aid Society of Guelph and Wellington has 22 employees on the 2025 Sunshine List, up from 18 in 2024, ranging from $100,000 to $203,163 for executive director Daria Allan-Ebron. 

To read/search the complete 2025 Public Sector Salary Disclosure List click here.