WELLINGTON COUNTY – The number of local municipal employees making over $100,000 annually rose by just two in 2021.
On March 25, the Ontario government released the 2021 Public Sector Salary Disclosure list, commonly known as the “Sunshine List.”
A total of 106 employees of Wellington County and its seven lower-tier municipalities made the list in 2021, up from 104 in 2020.
Wellington County CAO Scott Wilson takes the top spot for highest earner reported on the county list, with a salary last year of $275,595, up marginally from $272,480 in 2020.
Last year, 60 county employees made the list, up from 56 in 2020 and 44 in 2019. Salaries ranged between $100,120 and $275,595.
Ten per cent of the county employees on the list made over $168,000 – the amount one needs to earn today, taking inflation into account, to equal $100,000 in 1996, when the list was introduced.
In Centre Wellington, 17 staffers made the list, with salaries ranging between $101,830 and $202,768. That’s down from last year, when 20 employees made the list.
Former chief administrative officer (CAO) Andy Goldie was at the top of the list, followed by managing director of planning and development Brett Salmon at $159,731, former managing director of corporate services (current CAO) Dan Wilson at $156,728; and managing director of infrastructure services Colin Baker at $150,959.
Four Town of Erin employees were on the 2021 list, the same number as 2020, with CAO Nathan Hyde making the most at $163,280, up slightly from $162,995 in 2020.
The list includes seven Guelph/Eramosa employees, unchanged from 2020, with CAO Ian Roger making $165,764, the same as the previous year.
Five Mapleton Township employees are on the list, topped by CAO Manny Baron, who was paid $158,550.
The Town of Minto also had five employees on the list, with CAO Derrick Thomson drawing the highest salary of $143,846, down from $157,038 in 2020.
Just three employees made the Sunshine List in Puslinch, which is the same as last year. CAO Glenn Schwendinger tops the township list at $150,850.
Wellington North has five employees on the list, up one from last year. CAO Michael Givens took home the largest pay cheque at $144,628, down from $149,518 in 2020.
Health care
North Wellington Health Care, a corporation governing Palmerston and District Hospital and Louis Marshall Hospital in Mount Forest, had 19 employees on the list, led by former president Stephen Street, who was paid $274,481 in 2021. Street’s position is integrated with his former role as president of Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Centre Wellington.
Groves had 26 employees on the list with Jill Schitka, vice president of patient services and chief nursing executive for the Wellington Health Care Alliance, at the top with $135,580.
The Waterloo-Wellington LHIN has 21 employees on the list (down from 35 in 2020) with salaries ranging from $102,489 to $206,005.
Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) has 77 (up from 18 in 2020) employees on the list, with salaries ranging from $100,143 to $378,481 for Medical Officer of Health Dr. Nicola Mercer. WDGPH had five employees making more than $200,000 in 2021.
There are 14 (down from 15) employees of the Canadian Mental Health Association of Waterloo Wellington on the list, including CEO Helen Fishburn, who was paid $190,346 last year.
The Children’s Aid Society of Guelph and Wellington has 20 people on the list, with salaries ranging from $105,380 to $185,573 for executive director Sheila Markle.
Cindy Kinnon, executive director of Community Living Guelph Wellington, was the organization’s only member on the list, at $145,872.
Executive director Joan Nandlal-Robinson of the John Howard Society of Waterloo Wellington made $118,562.
The Minto-Mapleton Family Health Team has three employees on the list with nurse practitioner Jodi Colwill the highest paid at $131,813.
Upper Grand Family Health Team has five employees on the list with salaries ranging from $101,335 to $111,835.
Paramedic service
Employed by the City of Guelph but serving the county, 83 Guelph-Wellington Paramedic Services employees made the list. The top 2020 earner at the service was paramedic chief Stephen Dewar, who earned $176,597.
Less than four percent of the list’s earners made over $168,000.
Education
The Wellington Catholic District School Board has 95 employees on the list, down from 109 in 2018, with director of education Michael Glazier sitting atop the list with a salary of $204,366, up from $202,454 in 2020.
Peter Sovran, who replaced Martha Rogers as director of education for the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB), previously served as the director of education at the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, receiving a salary of $134,769 in 2021.
Rogers, who died late last year, made the most ($353,434) in 2021, up from $233,288 in 2020. The UGDSB, has 1,226 staff on the list, up 98% from 618 in 2020.
Conservation
The Grand River Conservation Authority has 24 employees on the list (up from 22 in 2020), ranging from $100,112 to $175,857 for CAO Samantha Lawson.
After seeing no members on the list in 2020, Credit Valley Conservation has 40 employees on the list, ranging from $100,797 to $199,649 for CAO Deborah Martin-Downs.
The Saugeen Valley Conservation and Maitland Valley Conservation authorities did not have any members on the list for 2021.
Policing
There are a total of 5,375 Ontario Provincial Police members who made the list this year. The Advertiser has inquired about how many members at detachments within the county made the list but did not receive a response by press time.
Wellington OPP inspector Paul Richardson earned $173,646 last year but the highest earner remains Sgt. Michael Ashley, who was paid $210,924.
Province-wide
Province wide, there are over 244,000 people on the 2021 list, up from about 205,000 in 2020 — a difference of around 19%.
Ontario Power Generation’s CEO Kenneth Hartwick, making $1,628,246, was the best paid employee on the 2021 list.
Wellington-Halton Hills MPP and Legislative Assembly speaker Ted Arnott was paid $152,913 in 2021, the same as 2020.
Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece, who serves as parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, was paid $146,538 (unchanged).
Premier Doug Ford received $208,974 in salary, unchanged from 2020.
For the complete Sunshine List visit ontario.ca/public-sector-salary-disclosure/2021/all-sectors-and-seconded-employees.
