Ontario Sunshine List: Number of public sector workers earning over $100k tops 130,000

TORONTO – Ontario Power Generation executives, a pair of hospital CEOs, and the president of a corporation that manages investments for a university are amongst the highest paid public-sector employees in the province on a growing list of those earning $100,000 or more.

The so-called “Sunshine List” released today shows that in 2017 there were 131,741 workers on the list, up from 123,410 last year, earning salaries and benefits that total over $16.8 billion.

READ MORE: Ontario sunshine list: Public sector’s top earner paid nearly $1.2 million

The highest earner on the list is Ontario Power Generation CEO Jeff Lyash whose salary was $1,554,456.95 and $6,864.00 in taxable benefits, up nearly $400,000 from last year.

The province’s second-highest earner is Daren Smith, president of the University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation, with a salary of $936,089.48 and $448.14 in taxable benefits.

The $100,000 threshold for those on the list has not changed since it was introduced by then-premier Mike Harris in 1996.

Premier Kathleen Wynne says today that she won’t be increasing the threshold because $100,000 is still a lot of money.