The province released the 2024 Sunshine List on Friday, which details public-sector employees whose salaries exceeded $100,000.
This year, 377,676 public servants were listed, up from 300,570 the year prior.
For the town of Midland, CAO Rhonda Bunn was listed at the top ($219,290), followed by retired CAO David Denault ($203,312) on the list which included 39 employees.
Firefighters also topped the local list including: captain firefighter Douglas Ward ($177,784); fire prevention officer Cale McLean ($170,406); and first class firefighter Tim Brummelhuis ($167,358).
The Sunshine List includes government employees, as well as those that work for 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, 12 employees were identified including: CAO Jeff Lees ($194,381); director of finance / treasurer Carrie Robillard ($145,557); public works director Bryan Murray ($143,520); and emergency services director/fire chief Richard Renaud ($141,076).
Tiny Township listed 11 employees including: CAO Robert Lamb ($197,303; deputy CAO and corporate services director Haley Leblond ($154,796); and public works director Tim Leitch ($151,733).
Tay Township hosted nine employees on the list, including: CAO and deputy clerk Andrea Fay ($173,156 with taxable benefits of $835); protective and development services general manager Shawn Aymer ($159,181); and operational services general manager Shawn Berriault ($146,926).
Listings for 13 Beausoleil First Nation public sector employees included: paramedic chief Anthony Filice ($138,531); 10 paramedics; a paramedic superintendent; and a community paramedicine superintendent.
As for school boards, the Simcoe County District School Board features 3,048 names on the list with recently retired director of education John Dance topping the list at $290,000 in 2024.
Joining Dance near the top of the school board’s pay sheet were high school teacher Karen Littlewood ($259,000) and associate director Dawn Stephens $234,000, who took over from Vance in December as education director.
They were followed on the list by seven board superintendents led by Corry Van Nispen at $211,000.
Over at the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board, 1,230 employees made the list led by now retired director of education Frances Bagley, who was paid $316,000 in 2024.
Following Bagley are an array of board head office staff including superintendents Scot Gorecki ($240,000), Mirella Rossi ($239,000) and Robert Lonnie Bolton ($237,000) along with human resources executive Tammy Martin ($236,000).
At the Conseil scolaire Viamonde, director of education Michel Laverdière was the top salary earner of 734 employees on the list, taking home $256,000 last year.
Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir had 932 employees on the list led by director of education Nicole Mollot who was paid $257,000 in 2024.
The Protestant Separate School Board, which has its lone school in Penetanguishene, had 25 employees on the list led by Burkevale principal Julia Mclaren ($158,000) and vice principal Wilson Cowan ($139,000).
Georgian College president and chief executive officer Kevin Weaver had a salary of $334,430 last year, up from the $300,810 he made in 2023. Vice-president Suzanne Addison-Toor earned $249,783 while David Bell, Georgian’s associate vice-president of advancement and alumni relations, earned $249,812. Yael Katz, vice-president of academic, earned $249,783, while Anna-Liisa Longmore, dean of liberal arts and academic quality, made $217,691.
For the Métis Nation of Ontario Secretariat, 18 employees were listed including: president and CEO Margaret Froh ($228,731); chief operating officer Joanne Meyer ($198,539); and chief strategy officer Jennifer St. Germain ($174,966).
Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care featured 349 employees on the list, risen from 309 individuals last year. The Penetanguishene-based hospital included: Dr. Achal Mishra ($440,346); Dr. Andrea Waddell ($431,309); Dr. Ginette Poulin ($427,715); Dr. Anurita Singh ($421,364) and Dr. Plabon Ismail ($415,600).
The Waypoint list also featured numerous program and department managers, pharmacists, registered nurses, psychiatrists and physicians. CEO and president Dr. Nadiya Sunderji ($397,994) and vice president, medical affairs, and chief of staff Dr. Kevin Young ($395,891) were also on the list.
Georgian Bay General Hospital noted 124 employees within the list, a slight decrease from 129 in 2023. Those at the top of the list included: president and CEO Matthew Lawson ($324,146); vice president performance, support services and CFO Marcia Chapman (220,364); as well as numerous nurses, pharmacists, program managers and nurse practitioners.
Listed with Huronia Historical Parks are general manager Will Baird ($180,433), and Discovery Harbour operations manager Tamaris Yakimishyn ($122,596).
Eight employees of Chigamik Community Health Centre made the list including: Dr. Kevin Byron ($299,962); Dr. Kyle Lee ($180,292), and executive director Suzanne Marchand ($136,461).
Meanwhile, Dr. Charles Gardner, the medical officer of health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit ($324,794) topped 63 names on the list for 2024. Associate medical officers of health Dr. Colin Lee ($248,112) and Dr. Lisa Simon ($231,718) were also listed.
Two members of the North Simcoe Muskoka Hospice Palliative Care Network were on the list: executive director Whitney Vowels ($131,595 with benefits of $967); and clinical nurse manager Rachel Lapensee ($111,880 with benefits of $1,056).
There are 5,825 OPP employees on the list, ranging from front-line officers to those working in supervisory and management positions throughout Ontario, top names include: physician Andrew Reed ($397,276); and OPP commissioner Thomas Carrique ($365,187).
Topping the list this year were three Ontario Power Generation officials, including President and CEO Kenneth Hartwick with a $2-million annual salary, Chief Operations Officer Nicolle Butcher at $978,380 and Chief Nuclear Officer Steve Gregoris at $919,310.
Rounding out the top five were Metrolinx president and CEO Phil Verster with $883,990 and University Health Network President and CEO Kevin Smith with $883,097.
Since 1996, public sector organizations (including municipalities) have been required to disclose the salaries, names, and positions of employees paid $100,000 or more in a calendar year; inflation calculations place that 1996 value at roughly $180,250 in 2024 dollars.
-with files from Andrew Philips and Nikki Cole
