Ontario Sunshine List 2024: Who Topped the Public Sector Pay Scale This Year?
The 2024 Ontario Sunshine List is here—and it’s breaking records again. This annual disclosure of public sector salaries over $100,000 shows a sharp increase in both the number of earners and the total payout.
Surge in High Earners
In 2024, 377,666 public employees made the list—a 25% jump from 2023’s 300,680. The combined salaries of these workers total over $50 billion.
According to Ontario’s Treasury Board President Caroline Mulroney, nearly half of this growth came from the education sector, with teachers accounting for 87% of that spike.
“Compensation increases were driven by salary adjustments, retroactive payments, and recent collective agreements,” Mulroney said in a March 28 statement.
Top Earners on the 2024 Sunshine List
Ontario Power Generation Leads the Pack
- Ken Hartwick, former CEO of Ontario Power Generation (OPG), topped the list again with a salary of over $2 million.
- Six of the top 10 earners are OPG executives, each taking home $800,000 or more.
Health Sector Not Far Behind
- Kevin Smith, CEO of the University Health Network: $883,097
- Ronald Cohn, CEO of the Hospital for Sick Children: $870,013
- Matthew Anderson, CEO of Ontario Health: $833,653
Transportation & Education Leaders Also Rank High
- Phil Verster, former Metrolinx CEO: ~$884,000
- John Tibbits, Conestoga College President: $636,106
- Ann Marie Vaughan, Humber College President: $497,880
- David Agnew, Seneca College President: $459,778
Political and Police Salaries
- Premier Doug Ford earned $208,974, less than six members of his own staff.
- His chief of staff, Patrick Sackville, made $328,098.
- Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow earned $225,093.
- Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw made $394,228, while TPS Sergeant Chung Wong earned $428,232, the highest in the service.
- York Regional Police Chief James MacSween topped all Ontario police chiefs at $415,230.
Inflation vs. Transparency Threshold
The $100,000 threshold has remained unchanged since the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act was introduced in 1996. However, in 2024 dollars, that figure would be closer to $185,000.
Out of the 377,000+ names, only 22,530 surpassed that inflation-adjusted benchmark.
Despite growing calls to update the threshold, successive governments have declined to make changes.
Summary: Who Made the Sunshine List in 2024?
Here’s a quick breakdown:
Key Stats:
- Total Earners: 377,666
- Total Salary Sum: $50+ billion
- OPG Employees Listed: 10,007
- Top Salary: $2 million+ (Ken Hartwick, OPG)
Sectors with the Most Growth:
- Education (primarily teachers)
- Healthcare and energy leadership
- Municipal and provincial administration
The list reflects not only rising public salaries but also ongoing debates around transparency and inflation adjustment. Until the threshold is updated, the Sunshine List will likely keep growing.
The Ontario Sunshine List 2024 reveals a sharp rise in high-income public workers, with OPG and healthcare leaders at the top. As calls grow to adjust the $100,000 threshold to reflect inflation, the current list continues to spark discussions on public spending and transparency.
Want to see the full list? Click here for the official Sunshine List.
More…
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/2024-ontario-sunshine-list-1.7496114
- https://toronto.citynews.ca/2025/03/28/ontario-sunshine-list-2024-top-public-sector-earners-revealed
- https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/its-silly-ontarios-sunshine-list-of-100k-earners-is-becoming-irrelevant-experts-say/article_34fcca89-cf10-436a-83ae-389dce7454f6.html
