Ontario’s annual “Sunshine List” is out, listing employee names, salaries, and benefits of government workers making over $100,000 per year. Here are some highlights:

• Another 11% increase in the Sunshine List from last year
• List swells to 88,412 government workers, up from 79,000
• Average salary on the list is $127,525
• List includes 40% of Toronto Police, including a cadet-in-training
• 1395 Toronto Transit (TTC) workers make the list, including train operators and ticket collectors
• Ontario Power Generation CEO Tom Mitchel tops the list earning $1.72 million

Premier Wynne came out saying that the Sunshine List benchmark should be increased, although she admits that many people still believe $100,000 is a lot of money. That’s because it is a lot of money! Especially when taxpayers foot the bill for lucrative government wages and benefits that they themselves don’t receive.

According to Stats Canada, the average Canadian salary in $47,200, and according to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, only six per cent of tax-filers in Ontario make the $100,000 threshold.

The list originated in 1996 under Premier Mike Harris in order to shine light on government workers and their high-priced pay role. This initiative and level of transparency is laudable and certainly a model for other provinces to take after, but the list itself needn’t be adjusted for inflation.

$100k was a lot of money in 1996, and it’s still a lot of money in 2013.

Keep in mind that government employees also enjoy more generous benefits, gold-plated pensions, earlier retirement, and more job security than the rest of us.