WELLINGTON COUNTY – Salaries of Ontario’s publicly paid employees are published by the provincial government every March, in what’s officially called the Public Sector Salary Disclosure List, but more commonly known as the Sunshine List.
The list includes names, earnings and positions for public sector workers with salaries over $100,000 the previous year.
Salaries continue to climb higher each year as the number of people listed swells.
The list for 2023 was released on March 28.
In Wellington County, the public employee bringing home the largest salary is once again Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) CEO Dr. Nicola Mercer, with a salary of over $320,000.
Municipal employees
The County of Wellington and its seven lower tier municipalities paid 168 staffers over $100,000 in 2023.
That’s up 30 per cent from the previous year, when 129 municipal employees were paid over $100,000.
CAO Scott Wilson remains the county’s highest paid staffer, with a salary of $297,107 in 2023, up 5% from $283,432 in 2022. Wilson received an additional $14,436 in benefits in 2023.
Wellington County has 91 other employees on the list, up 28% from 71 in 2022.
Andy Lennox was paid $141,847 in 2023 for serving as Wellington County Warden, in addition to $29,500 for his position as Wellington North Mayor, for a total of $171,347 for the year.
Seven Wellington County employees made over $179,000 – commonly cited as the amount one needs to earn today to equal $100,000 in 1996, when the list was introduced.
Centre Wellington has the most employees on the Sunshine List of the county’s lower tier municipalities, with 27 earning over $100,000 in 2023, but only one of these (CAO Dan Wilson) surpassing the $179,000 mark, with a salary of $195,957.
Nine Erin employees are listed, with the town’s former CAO Nathan Hyde paid $253,800, plus $14,227 in benefits. That was a 35% raise for Hyde, who earned $187,316 in 2022.
Hyde left his post as Erin’s top staff member last August to become CAO in Caledon. He started there on Aug. 8 and brought home an additional $109,706 by the end of the year. His combined salary for both positions in 2023 was $363,506.
Other Erin staffers on the list each earned less than $144,000 in 2023, with about $1,000 each in benefits.
In Guelph/Eramosa eight employees made the Sunshine List – one more than in 2022.
CAO Ian Roger is the township’s highest paid staffer, with a salary of $196,561 – up 17% from $167,672 in 2022.
The other seven salaries listed are all under $146,200.
Mapleton has eight employees on the list (up from six in 2022), with CAO Manny Baron paid $180,493 – about 6% more than his salary of $171,146 in 2022.
The other Mapleton staffers listed each were paid salaries of less than $138,000.
In Minto 11 employees are listed, up from nine in 2022. All of these staffers have salaries under $153,000.
Four Puslinch employees made over $100,000 – one less than in 2022.
Each of these staffers made less than $135,500, including benefits.
The number of Wellington North employees on the list has more than doubled, with nine listed in 2023 compared with four in 2022.
CAO Brooke Lambert, who joined the township’s staff in September 2022, earned $170,612 in 2023, while the other staffers listed were paid between $109,000 and $124,000.
Health care
The number of North Wellington Health Care (NWHC) employees listed almost doubled – from 26 in 2022 to 50 in 2023.
NWHC operates the Palmerston and District Hospital and Louise Marshall Hospital in Mount Forest.
The salaries listed range from $100,743 to $181,611 for registered nurse Michelle Goetz.
Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Centre Wellington has 56 employees listed, up 44% from 39 in 2022.
Topping the Groves list is president and CEO Angela Stanley, who earned a salary of $193,596, plus $12,570 in benefits.
The other Groves staff listed each made under $160,000, including benefits.
The Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network has 37 employees listed, up 19% from 31 in 2022.
Vice president of home and community care Karyn Lumsden made the most, with a salary of $206,006 – the same as she was paid in 2022 and 2021. The other salaries listed range from $100,819 to $158,320.
Guelph-Wellington Paramedic Services (GWPS) employees are officially employed by the City of Guelph, but the area they serve includes Wellington County.
The list includes 102 GWPS employees, up 26% from 81 in 2022.
The only GWPS employee who brought home more than $175,000 in 2023 was general manager and chief Stephan Dewar, with a salary of $195,586 and benefits totalling $7,956.
Three Minto-Mapleton Family Health Team employees made the list, with salaries between $102,084 and $132,164.
The Upper Grand Family Health Team had three employees on the 2023 Sunshine List – one less than in 2022. Two registered nurses earned $100,824 and the executive director brought home $120,590.
Two nurse practitioners with the Mount Forest Family Health Team are listed, each receiving salaries of $122,187.
One East Wellington Family Health Team employee makes the list, with a salary of $106,493.
The number of WDGPH employees on the list is falling – totalling 26 last year, compared to 56 in 2022 and 77 in 2021.
All but two WDGPH employees made less than $160,000 in 2023, while in 2022 five made more than $175,000 with three earning over $200,000.
In 2023, CEO Mercer earned $320,544 plus $5,512 in benefits. Mercer’s salary is down 17% from $387,874 in 2022.
Associate medical officer of health Matthew Tenenbaum earned $285,354 in 2023, up slightly from $285,113 in 2022.
The Canadian Mental Health Association of Waterloo Wellington (CMHA WW) has 18 employees listed, one more than in 2022.
Two of these employees made more than $200,000: psychologist and professional practice lead supervisor Troy Rieck was paid $225,194 (up 5% from $213,914) and CEO Helen Fishburn was paid $204,867 (down 4% from 212,966).
The other CMHA WW salaries listed are all under $144,000.
Social services
Two employees at Community Living Guelph Wellington made between $105,000 and $150,000 in 2023, compared to just one employee earning over $100,000 in 2022.
The John Howard Society of Waterloo Wellington also had two employees listed, both earning less than $122,000 in 2023. In 2022 the society had one employee on the Sunshine List.
Guelph Wellington Family and Children’s Services (GWFCS) has 15 employees on the Sunshine List – four less than last year. The highest earner there is executive director Daria Allan-Ebron, who earned $193,590 in 2023, her first full year there.
The other GWFCS employees all earned salaries under $140,000.
Education
At the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB), 1,332 employees made the Sunshine List in 2023, up 7% from 1,250 in 2022.
Of these employees, 936 (70%) made between $100,000 and $105,000.
Five UGDSB employees’ salaries surpassed $200,000:
- director of education Peter Sovran, who made $279,505 (up 13% from $246,747);
- executive superintendent of education Brent McDonald, who made $220,496 (up 11% from 198,287);
- executive superintendent of business services Glen Regier, who made $208,555 (up 14% from $182,398);
- chief information and security officer John McCormick, who made $208,104 (up 48% from $141,061); and
- superintendent of education Denise Heaslip, who made $201,279 (up 16% from 173,022).
At the Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB), 317 employees earned over $100,000 in 2023 – one more than in 2022.
Of these employees, 230 (73%) brought home between $100,000 and $105,000.
Five WCDSB employees were paid over $160,000:
- director of education Michael Glazier, who made $213,414 (up 4% from $204,536);
- associate director Tracy McLennan, who made $187,193 (up 4% from 179,846);
- executive superintendent Brian Capovilla, who made $177,169 (down slightly from $177,862); and
- superintendents of student achievement Michelle Sawa, who made $176,588 (up 18% from $150,170), and Betty Farrell, who made $163,799 (up 18% from $138,911).
Conservation
The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) has 29 employees on the 2023 Sunshine List – the same as 2022.
Of these employees, 27 (93%) bring home less than $140,000.
GRCA CAO Samantha Lawson’s salary was $198,263 in 2023, up 6% from $186,314 in 2022.
At Credit Valley Conservation, 45 employees are listed, up 25% from 36 in 2022.
Of these employees, 37 (82%) make less than $140,000.
CAO John Hanchard brought home $190,610 in 2023, up 5% from $181,538 in 2022.
Policing
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) employees make up 5,329 of the names on the 2023 Sunshine List, up 1.5% from 5,248 in 2022.
Of these, 351 (7%) bring home salaries that exceed $175,000.
The highest salary goes to physician Andrew Reed, who made $393,594 in 2023 (up 2% from $386,442).
OPP commissioner Thomas Carrique brought home the second largest sum of $373,473 (up 3% from $361,781).
Without knowing the name of every Wellington County OPP employee, it is next to impossible to discern how many are on the list.
In the past, under the direction of Inspector Scott Lawson (retired in 2019), Wellington OPP officials annually provided the Advertiser with the number of local OPP staff members making over $100,000.
However, under Inspectors Paul Richardson (2020 to 2022) and Steve Thomas (late 2022 to present), local OPP officials have not provided it.
Asked last year for the 2022 local total, spokesperson Jacob Unger said OPP “corporate communications” officials have stated that “moving forward we will not be releasing names or numbers of officers in relation to the Sunshine List.”
Unger said he was told that doing so “could lead to operational information being disclosed.”
In 2023, Thomas was paid $169,996 (up 5% from $162,072).
Wellington OPP Sgt. Michael Ashley was paid $204,148 last year.
Members of Parliament
Wellington-Halton Hills MPP and Legislative Assembly speaker Ted Arnott was paid $152,914 in 2023 – the same as 2022, 2021 and 2020.
Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae brought home $133,217.
Premier Doug Ford made $208,974 – the same as in 2022, 2021 and 2020.
Wellington-Halton MP Michael Chong and Perth-Wellington MP John Nater are not included in the provincial Sunshine List because they are federal Members of Parliament.
In 2023, MPs made a base salary of $194,600 per year, with additional renumeration of $92,800 for more senior roles or cabinet positions including House Speaker opposition leader and cabinet minister.
As of April 1, MPs’ base salaries increased to $203,100, and the additional renumeration increased to $96,800.
Growing list
Ontario’s 2023 Public Sector Salary disclosure list includes 300,370 names and salaries, up about 13% from 266,903 in 2022.
The five highest earners on the list, bringing home between $889,925 and $1,925,372 each, are all employees of Ontario Power Generation, with CEO Kenneth Hartwick topping the list again this year.
To read the 2023 Sunshine List visit ontario.ca/public-sector-salary-disclosure/2023/all-sectors-and-seconded-employees.
