A notable feature of the local Sunshine List, which compiles the names of Ontario public sector employees who made more than $100,000 in 2023, is the number of North Bay Regional Health Centre entries on the ledger.
For 2023, 516 NBRHC employees appear on the list, meaning this year's Sunshine List shows an increase of 154 or 42 per cent in $100,000-plus earners at NBRHC over the 362 in 2022.
In North Bay, the list is again dominated by health care professionals and administrators. Topping the list in North Bay for 2023, as in 2022 and 2021, are salaries from the health care sector.
NBRHC acknowledges the higher number of employees on this year's Sunshine List.
"This is a jump from previous years and is largely because of the Bill 124 reopener arbitration awards," explains Kim McElroy, manager of communications for the hospital. "Some other pressures that impacted these numbers include overtime and premiums."
In June 2023, an arbitrator awarded 45,000 Ontario hospital workers a 6.25 per cent wage increase.
See related: Ontario hospital nurses awarded average raises of 11% over two years, union says
Indeed, 120 of the 516 NBRHC employees on the list slotted into the $100,000–$110,000 range. Among the 120 on the bubble of the Sunshine List at NBRHC are registered nurses, registered practical nurses, personal support workers, charge technologists, information systems administrators, social workers, speech pathologists, and team leads.
See also: Ontario has to pay public sector workers $6B and counting in Bill 124 compensation
The 516 employees on the 2023 Sunshine List are led by psychiatrist Dr. Kenneth Boss who — as was the case in 2020, '21 and '22 — leads all local public sector salaries with earnings of $639,131, down from $694,224 in 2022 and $687,964 in 2021.
NBRHC President Paul Heinrich brought in $345,194, the same as he did in 2022, down from $364,912 in 2021 and $358,339 in 2020. Heinrich was followed by physician Dr. Scot Salstone, who made $284,908 in 2023, down from $312,289 in 2022 and $317,936 in 2021, and Mario Plante, a registered nurse who earned $250,973.
North Bay Regional Health Centre (512 employees $100,000+ up 150 from 2022)
- $639,131 Dr. Kenneth Boss, psychiatrist
- $345,194 Paul Heinrich president/CEO
- $284,908 Dr. Scot Salstone, physician
- $250,973 Mario Plante, registered nurse
- $226,112 Joanne Laplante, vice president
- $225,146 Ryan Jeffers, vice president
- $218,097 Andrea Lucas, vice president
- $212,903 Steven Hodge, clinical nurse educator
- $206,387 Barbara Schlueting, registered nurse
- $203,311 Chantal Voyer, director
The Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act, 1996, makes Ontario’s public sector more open and accountable to taxpayers. The act requires organizations that receive public funding from the Province of Ontario to make public, by March 31 each year, the names, positions, salaries and total taxable benefits of employees paid $100,000 or more in the previous calendar year.
The act applies to organizations such as:
- the Government of Ontario
- Crown agencies
- municipalities
- hospitals
- boards of public health
- school boards
- universities and colleges
- Ontario Power Generation
- other public sector employers who receive a significant level of funding from the provincial government
This year's edition contains 300,570 names. Topping the list is Kenneth Hartwick, CEO of Ontario Power Generation with a 2023 salary of nearly $2 million.
Search the list by name here.