Ontario Public Sector Salary Disclosure Report Reveals Questionable Uses of Taxpayers' Money

Toronto: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) commented today on the release of the Ontario Public Sector Salary Disclosure Report from the provincial Ministry of Finance. The Report releases the names of all public servants who earn in excess of $100,000 a year.

"Year after year, the public service sees its '$100,000 club' grow, while all taxpayers see are bigger tax bills," said CTF Ontario Director Tasha Kheiriddin. "Unfortunately, this year is no exception, with over 22,000 employees listed in the 1000-page report."

Hydro One and OPG the Worst Offenders

With close to 5,800 names, Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation (OPG) had the most employees of any of the organizations on the list. This, from two corporations that together employ 15,000 people. At the low end, a lines apprentice was listed as earning $107,999, while at the high end, OPG Acting President Richard DiCerni made $885,217 and Hydro One CEO and President Tom Parkinson broke the million-dollar barrier at $1,069,442.

"Taxpayers should be outraged at the high salaries of Hydro employees. When you consider that only 3% of Canadian tax filers earn over $100,000 a year, it is appalling that over one third of Hydro and OPG employees pull in this kind of money," said Kheiriddin. "With hydro costs rising across the province, taxpayers will be fuming that the CEO of Hydro One is earning over one million dollars a year. Equally absurd is that an apprentice, who hasn't even completed his training, is making over $100,000."

High-Rollers in the Health Sector As Well

The province's health sector also ranked high on the salaries list. Over 40 hospital presidents and CEOs earned over $200,000, with 30 making more than $300,000 and nine making more than $400,000. Top earners included the President and CEO of St Michael's Hospital ($519,951), Mount Sinai Hospital ($594,690), and the University Health Network ($612,500). These figures do not include taxable benefits, which in some cases were in excess of $66,000.

"At a time when waiting lists are at an all-time high and hospitals claim they cannot balance their books, perhaps they should take a hard look at the salaries paid to their CEOs," said Kheiriddin. "Are taxpayers getting the best value for their money "

LCBO and OLGC Salaries Reveal Misplaced Priorities

The list also reveals that the government pays handsomely to promote vice in the province, including selling Ontarians on the virtues of gambling and alcohol. The Chief of Marketing for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation made $200,496, while the Senior VP of Sales and Marketing for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario pulled in $176,653. Keeping booze in stock is also a lucrative job: four LCBO inventory managers made in excess of $100,000 a year.

"The government shouldn't be in the business of pushing liquor and gambling, period," said Kheiriddin. "Unfortunately, the report doesn't say how much money taxpayers will have to pay to public health services to help problem gamblers and alcoholics kick their habits."

It Pays To Be A Bookworm

The City of Toronto had some high rollers in the records department. A manager of video services for the Toronto Police earned $106,715 while a city librarian was paid $179,188.

"This certainly makes you wish you had taken library sciences more seriously as a career option," concluded Kheiriddin. "The only silver lining in this report is that these salaries are made public in the first place. We can only hope the governments involved will take a hard look and determine whether taxpayers are getting value for their money. In some cases, they clearly are not."