Ontario's 2020 Sunshine List is out, with increases in health care, school sectors adding thousands to list

Almost 75 per cent of the growth of the public sector salary disclosure came from hospitals and boards of public health and school board sectors.   (Sam Nar/CBC - image credit)
Almost 75 per cent of the growth of the public sector salary disclosure came from hospitals and boards of public health and school board sectors. (Sam Nar/CBC - image credit)

Ontario has released its 2020 Sunshine List of public sector employees who made more than $100,000 over the past year, with the COVID-19 pandemic adding thousands working in health care and school sectors to the list of top earners in the province.

Over 205,000 names made it on this year's list, a 23 per cent increase from 2019, where roughly 167,000 of public servants made up the list.

Search the whole list for yourself at the bottom of this story.

Almost 75 per cent of the growth of the public sector salary disclosure came from hospitals and boards of public health and school board sectors.

Nurses contributed to about 60 per cent of the increase, while teachers accounted for 97 per cent of the increase in the school boards sector — a significant increase of 55 per cent in the number of school board employees on the list since last year.

Pandemic-related pay, such as overtime hours and pandemic pay, resulted in higher incomes for some employees, including the potential to surpass the $100,000 threshold, the province said.

Ontario's Power Generation's Kenneth Hartwick recording the highest earnings on the 2020 list, raking in over $1.2 million. OPG executives secured six of the top spots on the list.

Out of the top 20 highest paid earners in the province in 2020, only two appear to be women.

Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams made over $444,000, while his deputy Dr. Barbara Yaffe made over $296,000.

While the number of workers who earned $100,000 or more increased last year, the average salary decreased to $125,871 in 2020 from $127,396 in 2019, according to the province.