Sunshine list continues to grow

By Graeme McNaughton/The Oshawa Express

The list of public employees in Ontario making $100,000 continues to grow.

According to the recently released Sunshine List, which details the names, positions, taxable income and taxable benefits of public sector employees making six-digit incomes, there were more than 124,000 people bringing in the big dollars. This marks an increase of 8,183 names, or approximately 6.5 per cent.

However, things were a bit different at the City of Oshawa, which saw its list go down to 204 names from last year’s 229. However, last year’s numbers were inflated due to retroactive payouts to firefighters after a new collective agreement was reached. The previous year saw 114 names.

The city’s six-digit earners amount for just under $24.46 million in salaries.

The number of $100,000-plus earners at the city has more than doubled since 2011, when 83 people made more than $9.6 million in salaries.

The Regional Municipality of Durham, however, kept along with the provincial trend and added more than 200 names, growing to 1,297 from 1,090. Those salaries account for just under $152.9 million, or a 20.3-per-cent increase over the year before.

The past five years have seen the number of six-digit earners at the region explode, growing from 524 positions, or just under $60.89 million in salaries, in 2011.

The city’s educational institutions also saw big numbers on this year’s list, with 217 at Durham College, University of Ontario Institute of Technology with 216 names, 512 at the Durham District School Board and 220 at the Durham Catholic District School Board.

Other local organizations noted on the list include 45 with the Durham Children’s Aid Society and two with Oshawa Public Libraries.

Top in the province

While the number of names on the Sunshine List grew over the previous year, the overall top salaries were lower than those seen last year.

The province’s top public employee was Jeffrey Lyash, the president and chief executive officer of Ontario Power Generation, who brought in more than $1.15 million in salary, plus another $9,802.71 in taxable benefits.

While a million-dollar-plus salary is nothing to sneeze at, the OPG boss’ total came in lower than last year’s top earner, Lyash’s predecessor Tom Mitchell, who took in more than $1.52 million and $66,000 in taxable benefits.

The province’s other million-dollar-plus earner was William Moriarty, the president and CEO of the University of Toronto’s Asset Management Corporation, a name frequent to the top of the list. For 2016, Moriarty received a salary of over $1.04 million, along with $611.72 in taxable benefits. While still bringing in a seven-digit income, this came in lower than Moriarty’s 2015 salary, which stood at $1.473 million.

The bronze medal spot for the Sunshine List goes to Jill Pepall, the executive vice-president and chief investment officer for the Ontario Pension Board, and her salary of $835,389.06, along with $727.64 in taxable benefits. Unlike her counterparts on the Sunshine List podium, Pepall saw a pay bump over last year’s numbers, which saw a salary of $740,378.24, along with $748.93 in taxable benefits.

While last year’s top 10 slots saw many from the PanAm Games’ organizing committee, this year’s list sees a heavy representation from the healthcare sector, accounting for six of the top 10 spots.