Ontario’s sunshine list reaches new heights with more than 300K people

Ontario Power Generation employs the top five best-paid public sector workers in the province, the annual salary disclosure list has revealed.

The database of all public workers in Ontario who earn more than $100,000 in one year, commonly referred to as the sunshine list, included more than 300,000 people for the first time in 2023.

In 2022, there were roughly 267,000 people earning more than $100,000.

At the top of the latest list was Ontario Power Generation CEO Kenneth Hartwick, who took home just over $1.9 million in 2023, while Dominique Miniere, his chief strategy officer, earned $1.2 million.

Three other Ontario Power Generation executives made up the top five, with SickKids president and CEO Ronald Cohn the best-paid non-power worker at $851,414.

Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster kept a place in the top 10, along with the CEO of Ontario Health, Matt Anderson and Mark Fuller, head of the Ontario Public Service Pension Board.

The Sunshine List was first introduced in 1996, with the promise of making it easier for taxpayers to see where some of their money is being spent.

The legislation that introduced it ordered every organization that receives public money in the province to disclose the salary and taxable benefits of any employee paid more than $100,000 the previous year.

The salaries and workers captured on the list range from high-paid CEOs with pay packages nearing the $1 million mark to professors, firefighters and some transit operators or mechanics. The annual list takes into account total compensation, including things like overtime payments.

According to the Bank of Canada’s inflation calculator, $100,000 from 1996 when the Sunshine List was launched is worth north of $175,000 in 2023 money.

Despite the drastic change in the value of a six-figure salary, the province said it does not intend to change the terms of the list.

“We have no plans to update the threshold on the sunshine list, I think it’s an important document that serves the people well in highlighting the salaries (of public workers),” Progressive Conservative Housing Leader Paul Calandra said Thursday.

The Ontario NDP, the official opposition at Queen’s Park, suggested they would also not consider raising the threshold of the list.

“I think that people think that $100,000 is still a lot of money, especially in an affordability crisis,” NDP finance critic Catherine Fife said.

The following are some highlights from the 2023 sunshine list.

• Kenneth Hartwick (Ontario Power Generation) — $1,925,372.00
• Dominique Miniere (Ontario Power Generation) — $1,194,532.69
• Michael Martelli (Ontario Power Generation) — $972,746.99
• Nicolle Butcher (Ontario Power Generation) — $894,783.33
• Christopher Ginther (Ontario Power Generation) — $889,925.01
• Ronald Cohn (The Hospital For Sick Children) — $851,414.40
• Kevin Smith (University Health Network) — $844,992.49
• Phil Verster (Metrolinx) — $838,097.41
• Mark Fuller (Ontario Public Service Pension Board) — $826,539.30
• Matthew Anderson (Ontario Health) — $821,000.22

• Doug Ford (Progressive Conservative, Premier) — $208,974.00
• Marit Stiles (Ontario NDP) — $174,950.20
• Bonnie Crombie (Ontario Liberals, Mississauga Mayor) — $129,438.53
• Mike Schreiner (Ontario Greens) — $125,874.00

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