Ontario’s sunshine list grows by about 11 per cent: should we be outraged?

$100,000 isn't what it used to be.

Nevertheless, on Friday — for the 18th consecutive year — Ontarians received a full accounting of the salaries of each and every individual in the public service who makes over that amount.

This years so-called 'sunshine list' — the 2013 edition — has 97,796 names on it, an almost 11 per cent increase from 2012. The average salary of individuals on the list is $127,433 in 2013, a negligible decline from the prior year.

Cue the outrage.

At first glance, you might think the growing list is another example of how the Kathleen Wynne government — who has an $11 billion deficit — is mismanaging the economy.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation, for example, has taken exception to the high salaries within the public energy companies.

"Tom Mitchell, President of Ontario Power Generation, is again the highest paid public sector worker in Ontario. Hydro One’s President Carmine Marcello isn't far behind" CTF National Director Gregory Thomas told Yahoo Canada News.

"And for those bloated salaries Ontarians get mismanagement, waste, soaring electricity prices and incompetence. For $1.71 million or $728,570 you should get competent leadership."

[ Related: Ontario MPPs set to get pay increase after opposition blocks salary freeze ]

While one might quibble about some of the individual salaries, on balance, things don't seem all that out of line.

There are 1.35 million provincial government workers in Ontario. With just under 100,000 of them making $100,000 or more doesn't seem like an inappropriate number.

And, as explained by the Toronto Star, part of the reason the list is growing is because of inflation.

"According to the Bank of Canada $100,000 in 1996 is worth about $141,000 today. Conversely, someone making $71,000 in 1996 would have earned the equivalent of $100,000 now," notes their report.

[ Related: Where will Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell rank on next list of highest-paid mayors? ]

And then there was this statistic, making the rounds on Twitter:

British Columbia, Manitoba and Nova Scotia also have sunshine lists; the federal government does not.

Some highlights from the list:

- Top money earner is Tom Mitchell, president and CEO of Ontario Power Generation, who made $1.71 million

- Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne was paid $198,000 in 2013 while opposition leader Tim Hudak cashed-in with $180,000. NDP leader Andrea Horwath made 158,157.96.

- The province's highest paid mayor was Markham's Frank Scarpitti with a salary of $178,701. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was close behind earning $175,325.

- TVO host Steve Paikin made $302,622

(Photo courtesy of the Canadian Press)

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