Over the past four years, while businesses in the private sector struggled and many people lost their jobs, the number of Ontario public sector employees making over $100,000 a year rose by 114%.
Over 71,470 civil servants made at least $100,000 last year – an 11% increase over 2009 and up drastically since 2006, when just 33,440 reached that threshold.
Included on the 2010 list are 20 Wellington County employees, seven from Centre Wellington, two each from Puslinch and Guelph-Eramosa Townships, and one from Erin.
At $266,500, Waterloo-Wellington Local Health Integration Network CEO Sandra Hanmer tops the local list, which also includes 155 school board employees (up from 138), 20 from conservation authorities, 10 from the Community Care Access Centre, 17 in the field of health care and promotion and six from the Children’s Aid Society.
On March 31, the Ministry of Finance released its annual “Sunshine List” of public sector employees who received a 2010 salary over $100,000 before taxes, as well as their total taxable benefits.
The goal of the legislation on which the list is based is to make the public sector more open and accountable, allow taxpayers to compare the performance of an organization with the compensation given to its employees, and provide taxpayers with more details on how their tax dollars are spent.
In three years, the number of individuals on the list has grown by 68%, and the list has more than tripled, from 20,249 to 71,478, since 2003. Those figures have upset some people, including officials with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF).
“Ontario’s debt is skyrocketing and so are civil servant salaries – I suspect there is a connection,” CTF director Colin Craig told the Advertiser.
He acknowledged no one should work “for peanuts,” but said the salaries of civil servants always seem to be on the rise, despite wage freezes, cutbacks, and even layoffs in the private sector.
“There is a complete disconnect there … and it’s upsetting a lot of people in the private sector – and rightfully so,” Craig said.
“It’s not a problem that’s unique to Ontario … we need a national discussion about this problem.”
The lengthy list of local members of the $100,000 club includes the following 20 county employees (up from 16 in 2009, and just nine in 2008):
– Jill Mainland, manager of resident care at the Wellington Terrace, $100,628;
– Ken Dehart, manager of financial services, $100,792;
– Heather Burke, director of housing, $102,177;
– Susan Farrelly, assistant director of human resources, $102,177;
– Laura Holtom, assistant administrator at the Wellington Terrace, $102,177;
– Valerie Sauer, assistant administrator of social services, $102,177.
– Paul Johnson, operations manager, $103,527;
– Daniel Halk, technology services manager, $108,989;
– Eleanor Morris, director of nursing at the Wellington Terrace, $109,590;
– Douglas Konrad, solid waste services manager, $110,471;
– Kevin Mulholland, construction and property manager, $116,774;
– Eddie Alton, social services administrator, $122,643;
– Bonnie Callen, county museum and Wellington Place administrator, $137,987;
– Gary Cousins, director of planning and development, $137,987;
– Janice Hindley, chief librarian, $137,987;
– Andrea Lawson, human resources administrator, $137,987;
– Peter Barnes, administrator of the Wellington Terrace, $138,575;
– Craig Dyer, Treasurer, $138,575;
– Gord Ough, engineer, $138,575; and
– Scott Wilson, Chief Administrative Officer, $186,929.
There were seven members of the $100,000 club in Centre Wellington in 2010, down from eight two years ago, including:
– Robert Foster, chief building official, $103,599;
– Andrew Goldie, Director of Parks and Recreation, $106,430;
– Marion Morris, Clerk, $109,038;
– Brad Patton, Fire Chief, $110,167;
– Wes Snarr, treasurer, $111,280; and
– Ken Elder, director of public works, $111,556; and
– Michael Wood, Chief Administrative Officer, $135,923.
Town Manager Lisa Hass, at $103,594, was the only Erin employee on the list for 2010. In Guelph-Eramosa, Public Works Manager Ken Gagnon was paid $101,404 and CAO Janice Sheppard was paid $105,057.
In Puslinch, Public Works superintendent Jim Howlett made his first appearance on the list ($102,304), while CAO, Clerk, and Treasurer Brenda Law made her second appearance, at $105,289 for 2010.
At Queen’s Park, Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott, also the deputy house leader for the opposition, made $126,932 last year. John Wilkinson, MPP for Pert-Wellington and Minister of the Environment, made $165,851.
There are 37 Wellington Catholic District School Board employees in the $100,000 club (up from 36 for 2009), with salaries ranging from $100,534 to $223,716 for Director Don Drone.
At $207,713, Director Martha Rogers tops the list of 118 (up 16% from 102) Upper Grand District School Board employees taking home over $100,000.
Members in the health care field making over $100,000 include:
– Marsha Martin, director of finance for Groves, NWHCC, $104,105;
– Sherri Ferguson, chief human resources officer for Groves and NWHCC, $107,013;
– Joy Carriere, registered nurse at Groves, $107,954;
– Diane Wilkinson, vice-president of patient services for Groves and NWHCC, $129,213;
– Karl Ellis, VP of corporate services and chief financial officer for Groves and the North Wellington Health Care Corporation (NWHCC), $142,162; and
– Jerome Quenneville, CEO, Groves and NWHCC, $202,562.
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health Unit staff members on the list more than doubled last year, from five to 11, including:
– Kristin Johnson, nurse practitioner, $100,828;
– program managers Janice Craig, Thomas Craig, Dawna Monk-VanWyck, Susan Otten, and Janice Walters-Tigert, who each make between $101,591 to $102,219;
– Rita Sethi, director, $104,560;
– Robert Thompson, director of health protection, $129,915;
– Andrea Roberts, director of child and family health, $131,092;
– Carole Desmeules, director of finance and corporate Services, $136,987; and
– Nicola Mercer, medical officer of health and chief executive officer, $249,165.
Also included locally are nine employees of the Water loo-Wellington Local Health Integration Network, whose salaries range from $100,002 to $266,500 for CEO Sandra Hanmer – the highest salary on the local list.
The Grand River Conservation Authority has 12 members (up from 10), whose salaries range from $102,048 to $137,438 for CAO Joe Farwell.
There are seven Credit Valley Conservation Authority employees in the club (one more than in 2009), ranging from $100,241 to $152,030 for CAO Rae Horst.
The Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority has one member on the Sunshine List: CAO James Coffey, at $101,192.
Six employees from the Children’s Aid Society of Guelph-Wellington earned more than $100,000 in 2010, with salaries ranging from $107,4327 to $153,316 for executive director Daniel Moore.
The Waterloo Wellington Community Care Access Centre boasts 10 members, with salaries from $104,684 to $158,178 for Jim Dalgliesh, director of corporate services.
Wellington County OPP employees making over $100,000 in 2010 included:
– Sergeant Ron Smith, $102,663;
– PC Timothy Gillingham, $103,050;
– Constable Keith Robb, $104,187;
– Sergeant Shawn Jones, $105,274;
– Staff Sergeant Susan Gray, $106,683;
– Sergeant Bob Uridil, $107,088;
– Constable Jody Bigger, $108,608;
– Constable Chris Biondi, $108,898;
– PC Steven Hunter, $109,681;
– Staff Sergeant Jack Hunjan, $112,302;
– Sharon Fisher, of the criminal investigations unit, $116,428
– Det. Sergeant Mary Louise Kearns, $119,846;
– Inspector Scott Smith, $126,308; and
– Sergeant Michael Ashley, $127,816.
For the complete 2010 Sunshine List of public sector employees making at least $100,000 visit www.fin.gov.on.ca.
