The number of civil servants in Ontario with a salary of at least $100,000 grew by 11 per cent in 2012 – and the list has grown by 39 per cent over the last three years.
“This clearly shows public sector salaries are out of control,” said Candice Malcolm, Ontario director of the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation (CTF). “From top to bottom, it just shows a blatant disregard for taxpayers.”
The number of Wellington-area individuals on the province’s annual “Sunshine List,” which was released on March 28, now includes 21 county employees, eight from Centre Wellington and five from the county’s six other lower tier municipalities.
The local list also includes 220 school board employees (up 14% from 193 in 2011), at least 30 local OPP officers, 23 from conservation authorities and 24 in the field of health care and promotion.
The Ministry of Finance’s annual disclosure list includes the salaries of public sector employees making more than $100,000 a year before taxes, as well as their total taxable benefits.
The goal of the legislation on which the provincial list is based is to make the public sector more open and accountable, allow taxpayers to compare performance with compensation, and provide more details on how tax dollars are spent.
The annual list now includes the names of 88,412 people in Ontario, which represents a 164% increase since 2006, when just 33,440 reached the $100,000 threshold.
Since the list’s release last week, some have stated that threshold, which has not increased since 1996 to account for inflation, should now be closer to $140,000.
But Malcolm doesn’t buy that argument, pointing out the average Canadian salary is about $47,200, and only about 6% of tax-filers in Ontario make the $100,000 threshold.
“One hundred thousand dollars was a high benchmark in 1996 and it’s still a high benchmark in 2013,” she said.
CTF officials have previously also stressed the Sunshine List’s growth far outstrips the growth in population or the effect of inflationary increases.
Malcolm said it’s not just higher salaries that irk taxpayers, it’s also the benefits and other perks given to civil servants.
“They retire a lot earlier than the rest of us, they have better pension schemes that are topped up by taxpayers, and they have better job security,” she told the Advertiser.
“It’s a total imbalance and it needs to be addressed and some changes made.”
Kevin Mercer, former CEO of the Waterloo Wellington Community Care Access Centre (CCAC), tops the Sunshine List in the Wellington County area. He made $493,785 last year, including what appears to be a large payout after he lost his job abruptly in July.
With a salary of $284,432, Dr. Nicola Mercer, medical officer of health with the Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) unit, is second on the local list.
Municipalities
The list of local municipal employees in the $100,000 club includes the following 21 county employees (the same number as in 2011, but up considerably from just nine in 2008):
– Mark Paoli, senior planner, $100,417;
– Rob Moore, roads superintendent, $101,048;
– Jill Mainland, manager of resident care at the Wellington Terrace, $105,201;
– Mark Van Patter, senior planner, $105,557;
– Donna Bryce, clerk, $106,918;
– Heather Burke, director of housing, $108,398;
– Laura Holtom, assistant administrator at the Wellington Terrace, $108,398;
– Susan Farrelly, assistant director of human resources, $108,488;
– Paul Johnson, operations manager, $110,806;
– Luisa Artuso-Della Croce, director of child care, $113,297;
– Douglas Konrad, solid waste services manager, $114,931;
– Ken DeHart, manager of financial services, $117,376;
– Kevin Mulholland, construction and property manager, $123,884;
– Murray McCabe, chief librarian, $133,265;
– Eddie Alton, social services administrator, $140,660;
– Peter Barnes, administrator of the Wellington Terrace, $147,008;
– Janice Hindley, museum administrator, $147,008;
– Andrea Lawson, human resources administrator, $147,008;
– Gord Ough, engineer, $147,010;
– Gary Cousins, director of planning and development, $147,308;
– Scott Wilson, chief administrative officer (CAO), $198,300.
County Warden and Guelph-Eramosa Mayor Chris White was paid a total of $125,013 in salary and benefits last year, but he does not appear on the Sunshine List because his total is divided between the county and township.
There were eight members of the $100,000 club in Centre Wellington in 2012, down from nine in 2011, including:
– Robert Foster, chief building official, $104,937;
– David Boyle, director of information technology and services, $106,652;
– Brett Salmon, director of planning, $107,925;
– Brad Patton, fire chief, $113,217;
– Marion Morris, Clerk, $116,240;
– Wes Snarr, treasurer, $120,260;
– Andrew Goldie, director of parks and recreation (appointed CAO in October), $125,203; and
– Michael Wood, former CAO, $154,923, including what appears to a be a large payout after he abruptly left his job in July.
The Town of Erin did not have anyone on this year’s sunshine list (past members include retired town manager Lisa Hass and current clerk Kathryn Ironmonger).
The other five lower-tier municipalities each had one employee making over six figures. They are:
– Guelph-Eramosa CAO Janice Sheppard was paid $110,829;
– Mapleton CAO Patty Sinnamon, $106,170;
– Minto CAO/clerk Bill White, $123,255;
– Puslinch CAO and treasurer Brenda Law (now retired), $108,576; and
– Wellington North CAO Lorri Heinbuch, $106,084.
Provincial Parliament
and educators
At Queen’s Park, Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott (also the house deputy chair) made $129,254 last year, while Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece made $116,550.
There are 75 Wellington Catholic District School Board employees in the $100,000 club (up 67% from 45 for 2011), with salaries ranging from $100,061 to $235,119 for director Don Drone.
At $205,551 Director Martha Rogers tops the list of 145 Upper Grand District School Board employees taking home over $100,000 (there were 148 in 2011).
Health and wellness
Members in the health care field making over $100,000 include:
– Joy Carriere, registered nurse at Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Fergus, $100,699;
– Chantal Yates, at Groves, $105,181; and
– Melissa Layman, registered nurse at Groves, $106,104;
– Sherri Ferguson, chief human resources officer for Groves and North Wellington Health Care (NWHC), $113,410;
– Marsha Martin, director of finance for Groves and NWHC, $118,297;
– Stephen Street, vice president of corporate services for Groves and NWHC, $126,467;
– Diane Wilkinson, vice-president of patient services for Groves and NWHC, $132,386; and
– Jerome Quenneville, CEO, Groves and NWHC, $213,171.
Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) unit staff members on the list numbered 16 in 2012 (in 2011 there were 17 and in 2010: 11), including:
– Kristin Johnson, nurse practitioner, $105,406;
– Thomas Craig, program managers, $122,483;
– Tricia Hardy, program manager, $103,519;
– human resources employee Linda Yates and program managers Scott Hutchison, Rosalyn Larochelle, Jennifer Macleod, Dawna Monk-VanWyck, Susan Otten and Shawn Zentner who each made $103,873;
– Janice Tigert-Walters, chief nursing officer, $117,377;
– Rita Sethi, director, $120,548;
– Robert Thompson, director of health protection, $135,222;
– Andrea Roberts, director, $145,031;
– Carole Desmeules, director of finance and corporate Services, $155,505; and
– Mercer, medical officer of health and chief executive officer, $284,432.
Also included locally are ten employees of the Waterloo-Wellington Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), whose salaries range from $106,087 to $240,000 for CEO Bruce Lauckner.
The Waterloo Wellington Community Care Access Centre boasts 11 members again in 2012 (the same as 2011), with salaries from $103,063 to $493,785 for former CEO Kevin Mercer. That figure, the highest in the area and more than double his 2011 salary of $243,206, is due in large part to what appears to be a large payout after he lost his job in July.
The Children’s Aid Society of Guelph and Wellington has eight members on the Sunshine List, with salaries ranging from $111,019 to $167,265 for executive director Daniel Moore.
Conservation authorities
There are 12 Credit Valley Conservation Authority employees in the club in 2012 (up from seven in 2011), with salaries ranging from $101,520 to $160,238 for CAO Rae Horst. The Grand River Conservation Authority had 11 members on the list in 2012 (it had 12 in 2011), whose salaries range from $105,439 to $157,154 for CAO Joe Farwell.
Neither the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority nor the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority had any members on the Sunshine List for 2012.
Police
Wellington County OPP employees making over $100,000 in 2011 included:
– investigator Eric Ballantyne, $100,345;
– Sharon Fisher, of the criminal investigations unit, $100,640;
– investigator David Telfer, $101,303;
– Constable Mark Cloes (now retired), $101,506;
– investigator Kevin Detweiler, $101,825;
– investigator Jen Foley, $101,835;
– Sergeant Warren Fink (now retired), $102,194;
– PC Rudy Bracnik, $102,538;
– PC Tim Sturgeon, $102,580;
– PC Greg Henderson, $102,853;
– Sergeant Don Clark, $103,531;
– PC Henry Van Dyk, $105,046;
– PC Andrew Smith, $106,133;
– PC Adam Houser, $107,614;
– PC Rick Lytle, $104,065;
– Sergeant Ron Smith, $108,864;
– media relations officer Cheri Rockefeller, $109,256;
– Sergeant Roger Woods, $110,413;
– Constable Jody Bigger, $111,083;
– Sergeant Shawn Jones, $112,246;
– PC Steven Hunter, $112,338;
– Sergeant Caren Ashmore, $112,695;
– PC Frank Thornton, $113,374;
– Staff Sergeant Susan Gray, $114,352;
– Sergeant Bob Uridil, $117,907;
– Staff Sergeant Jack Hunjan, $118,500;
– Det. Sergeant Mary Louise Kearns, $119,561;
– former inspector Scott Smith, $135,584;
– current Inspector Scott Lawson, $135,584; and
– Sergeant Michael Ashley, $142,109.
For the complete 2012 Sunshine List of civil servants making at least $100,000 visit www.fin.gov.on.ca.
