Local Sunshine List continues to grow

The province has released its annual Public Sector Salary Disclosure — better known as the ‘Sunshine List — for the year 2015, and many sectors showed an increase in the number of employees crossing the $100,000 threshold.

The list, provided every year as public information by the province of Ontario, presents the salaries of employees who make $100,000 a year or more and work for organizations which receive public funding. 

Topping the local list is Dr. Heather O’Brien, chief of staff for Sault Area Hospital (SAH), with a salary of $346, 211, with benefits of over $30,000.

Ron Gagnon, president and CEO of SAH, comes in second in Sault with a salary of $308,687, with benefits of $2,096.

In total, 97 SAH employees made the list — up more than 40-percent from the 68 reported last year.

Dr. Ron Common — president of Sault College — is reported to make $295,210, while Algoma University’s past president Dr. Richard Myers took in $199,000.

Sault College reported 97 employees making $100,000 or more, up from 83 last year.

While Algoma University total last year of 35 employees on the list has increased to 43 this year.

Last year, Lucia Reece — director of education for Algoma District School Board — reported to have a salary of $194,280, while John Stadnyk, director of the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board, pulled in $187,457

The highest-paid city employee is Police Chief Bob Keetch at $197,831, while Fire Chief Mike Figliola’s salary was further down the list at $146,025.

Sault Ste. Marie Police Services counted 69 Sunshine List-eligible employees among its ranks, while 32 were from Sault Ste. Marie Fire Service.

City solicitor Nuala Kenny was the second highest-paid employee for the City of Sault Ste. Marie, with a salary of $180,771.

Kim Barker, who resigned at the end of January, 2015 as Algoma Public Health’s medical officer of health, earned $198,341.

More than 115,000 employees across Ontario made the 2015 list.