Ontario’s 2020 Sunshine List has been released, with the region’s top public salary earner being Grey Bruce Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ian Arra.
The publication of salaries is a requirement of the 1996 Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act which mandates all public sector salaries over $100,000 be released. The salary figures include overtime, severance and bonuses among other things.
It includes employees of the Government of Ontario, Crown agencies, municipalities, hospitals, boards of public health, school boards, universities and colleges, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and other public sector employers who receive a significant level of funding from the province.
Arra, who is paid largely by the Province was the highest paid public servant in the Grey Bruce region, and the highest paid Medical Officer of Health in the province with a salary of $631,510, nearly double his 2019 earnings of $385,349.
Chair of the Bruce Grey Board of Health Sue Paterson says, Arra’s salary nearly doubled in 2020 because his hours nearly doubled in response to the pandemic, “Dr. Arra has literally worked every day since the first cases were identified in Grey Bruce in March 2020. Over the past year, he has almost doubled his regular hours working around the clock at certain critical times.”
Paterson, adds, “If you think of working seven days a week, right through every weekend, it’s like he’s working for two people almost, he’s doing the job of two people.”
She explains, “Dr Arra, has a contract. It’s an employment agreement between the board and Dr. Arra. He is paid a salary and he is paid for his overtime.”
A statement from Public Health notes, Arra received, “The same overtime rate as would be available to any unionized staff putting in those kinds of overtime hours. These overtime rates, for all union and non-union positions, are eligible for the provisions under the provincial government’s extraordinary funding related to COVID-19.”
In answer to comparisons being made between Arra and other Medical Officers of Health in Ontario, Paterson says, “It’s not appropriate to talk about other people’s wages. We don’t understand, we don’t know what their contracts are or the organizational structure or the number of people who work under them, or how many associate Medical Officers of Health or Physician Consultants they have.”
A statement from Public Health notes, “Throughout all of 2020 and to date, we do not have an Associate Medical Officer of Health. There are certain legislated responsibilities and authority that can only be performed by a Medical Officer of Health or a designated Associate appointed by the Minister. These responsibilities cannot be performed by a physician consultant. A physician consultant does not have the legislative authority to fulfill the Medical Officer of Health on-call requirement as each health unit must have an Medical Officer of Health on call at all times, 24 hours a day. As such, there is no one for whom Dr Arra could pass over the legislated responsibilities.”
Meanwhile, Paterson points out the Sunshine list does not reflect any of those details, adding, “I understand that the sunshine list has raised questions. It’s important to note, this is a listing of public sector employees who have earned $100,000 or higher. The list does not have any comparators and is just that–a list.”
Paterson added words of support for the region’s MOH saying, “Dr. Arra has mobilized all of us. Residents, volunteers, corporations, to put us where we are. To say we’re in a good position with COVID-19 and it’s because of his leadership and his expertise.”
Marked by the pandemic, 2020 saw many people in health related jobs working more hours.
Ten other people at the Grey Bruce Health Unit made the list in 2020 as well.
Grey Bruce Health Services had 219 people on the list in 2020, more than double the number of people on it last year. Hospital President and CEO Gary Sims earned $309,217.
South Bruce Grey Health Centre had 45 people on the list in 2020 versus the 36 earning over $100,000 in 2019. President and CEO Michael Barrett made $240,237.
The Hanover and District Hospital saw 24 employees make the sunshine list, up from 16 in in 2019. President and CEO Dana Howes made $181, 384.
The Bluewater District School Board had 158 people on the list, down slightly from last year. Director of Education Lori Wilder made $239,141.
The Bruce Grey Catholic District School Board had more than double 2019’s number of 62 people, with 149 on the list in 2020. Director Gary O’Donnell made $189,721.
Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson earned $165,851, while Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker is listed as earning $138,927.
Grey County had 67 people on the list. CAO Kim Wingrove made $213,437.
Bruce County had 46 employees on the list. CAO Sandra Datars Bere made $117,918.
Owen Sound Police Chief Craig Ambrose was the top paid employee of the City of Owen Sound earning $192,114. There were 33 other members of the police service who made the Sunshine List. 75 City workers are on this year’s list, including at least ten firefighters. Owen Sound Fire Chief Doug Barfoot earned $144, 977.
In Saugeen Shores, 28 employees of the Town made the list, including 15 members of the police service. Police Chief Kevin Zettel’s salary is listed as $158, 910. The Fire Department is a volunteer service, though Director of Protective Services, (which includes duties of a fire chief), Chief Phil Eagleson is an Employee of the Town, earning $132,476.
The Town of Hanover had at least 12 people on the Sunshine List the same as 2019, with six members of the police service making the list. Hanover Police Chief Chris Knoll made $165, 353.
Other local organizations with employees on the list include the Owen Sound Transportation Company which operates the Chi Cheemaun and Bruce Grey Child and Family Services.
Also of note around the province, the new Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation’s CEO Cal Bricker made $ 355,037. Bricker left the post in the fall of 2020 to be replaced by Thomas Haig.
Six out of the seven highest paying jobs on the list belong to Ontario Power Generation executives. The highest paid public employee in Ontario was OPG President and CEO Kenneth Hartwick at $1.2 million.