The province has released the 2019 Sunshine List — which details public-sector employees whose salaries exceed $100,000 — and this year close to 167,000 people made the cut in Ontario.
The Town of Midland had 27 employees listed, including police inspector Ron Wheeldon at $258,442 and police chief Mike Osborne at $158,071. (The municipal police force was replaced by the OPP in February 2018.) Fire department officials on the list include captains Alan Hamelin ($179,004) and Douglas Ward ($162,677).
At town hall, former director of finance Susan Turnbull leads the group at $150,858. Others making the list include library CEO Crystal Bergstrome ($119,065), community services director Shawn Berriault ($135,928), infrastructure director Andy Campbell ($130,199) and planning director Wes Crown ($117,525) and corporate services director Amanpreet Sidhu ($130,199), who now serves as interim CAO.
The Sunshine List includes government employees, as well as Crown agencies, municipalities, hospitals, boards of public health, school boards, universities and colleges, Ontario Power Generation, and "other public-sector employers who receive a significant level of funding from the provincial government."
In Penetanguishene, CAO Jeff Lees was the highest paid employee at $165,716. The town had 11 on the list in total, including emergency services director Paul Ryan ($139,216), who is now joint chief of the Midland and Penetanguishene fire departments, public works director Bryan Murray ($126,934) and director of finance Carrie Robillard ($125,728).
TayTownship, meanwhile, had five employees on the list, led by former CAO Robert Lamb ($126,808), followed by Joanne Sanders ($123,096), Steven Farquharson ($111,854), Peter Dance ($125,644) and fire Chief Brian Thomas ($109,669).
At Tiny Township, nine workers are featured this time around, led by CAO Doug Luker ($172,854), who is followed by finance director Doug Taylor ($134,163), fire chief Ray Millar ($132,338) and public works director Tim Leitch.
Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care led the area with 149 employees on the list, topped by by psychiatrists Dr. Plabon Ismail ($404,250) and Dr. Brant Bergstrome ($396,066). The Waypoint list also featured numerous program and department managers, pharmacists, registered nurses, psychiatrists and physicians. CEO Carol Lambie was paid ($318,609).
At Georgian Bay General Hospital, 48 employees made the list, led by CEO Gail Hunt at $245,731, who was followed by a number of nurses, pharmacists, program managers and nurse practitioners.
Over at the Chigamik Community Health Centre four employees Nicole Ayotte ($112,904), Dr. Kevin Byron ($255,778), David Jeffery ($115,703) and Sandy Parks ($113,354) made the list.
Elsewhere in the local medical community, North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) CEO Jill Tettmann came in at $265,002, followed by vice-president of system transformation Neil Walker ($216,488).
At the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, medical officer of health Dr. Charles Gardner is listed at $290,144, followed by associate medical officers of health Dr. Colin Lee ($236,190) and Dr. Lisa Simon ($202,692).
On the law and order side of things, Southern Georgian Bay OPP Inspector Andrew Ferguson was paid $168,564 as the region's top cop while Midland OPP detachment head Lee Jeannotte. There were also a number of Central North Correctional Centre employees making the list.
Georgian College has close to 250 employees on the Sunshine List, including numerous professors, deans and executives. President and CEO MaryLynn West-Moynes was the highest earner at $278,950.
At Lakehead University, which has a campus in Orillia, there were around 370 employees listed, with president and vice-chancellor Moira McPherson leading the way at $360,045. Past employee Jean-Yves Bernard topped Lakehead at $638,866. According to a CBC report from 2018, Bernard is a former professor in Thunder Bay who was dismissed in 2013 and came to a settlement with the university.
Also listed in the education field were Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board director of education Brian Beal ($279,962), who recently announced his retirement, as well as Simcoe County District School Board director of education Stephen Blake ($276,579) and associate director John Dance ($224,080).
At the County of Simcoe, CAO Mark Aitken made $288,595, followed by health and emergency services general manager Jane Sinclair ($227,205), general manager of engineering, planning and environment Deborah Korolnek ($220,539), corporate performance general manager Trevor Wilcox ($220,466), social and community services general manager Gregory Bishop ($208,748), and senior counsel Marshall Green ($203,757).
At the head of the provincial government, Premier Doug Ford made $208,974, while York-Simcoe MPP Caroline Mulroney, as minister of transportation, earned $165,851. Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey, who’s also attorney-general, made $150,531, followed by Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin, parliamentary assistant with the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, at $133,217. Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop is listed at $128,422, with Simcoe-Grey MPP Jim Wilson at $116,550.
Other notable salaries in the region included YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka CEO Rob Armstrong at $210,560, Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Simcoe County branch CEO Nancy Roxborough at $165,434, and Simcoe County Services CEO Claudine Cousins at $165,099.
The top two salaries in Ontario, both from Ontario Power Generation, were Jeffrey Lyash ($938,845) and Kenneth Hartwick ($929,763).
For the complete list, click here. Salary disclosures are available dating back to 1996.
-with files from Raymond Bowe
