Ontario’s Sunshine List is out. Can you guess who made $1,907,408 last year?
The province has released its roster of public sector employees earning more than $100,000 annually
It’s the best day of the year for people who enjoy looking at their screens, saying “wow” and shaking their heads with an affect of indignation.
That’s right, it’s Sunshine List day. The province has released its roster of public sector employees who earned more than $100,000 last year.
“Retroactive payments, collective bargaining outcomes and an additional pay period for multiple organizations were all unique factors contributing to salary increases in 2025,” said a statement issued by Caroline Mulroney, president of the Treasury Board. “Over 50 per cent of this year’s growth was driven by municipalities, which includes local police and fire services whose work continues to protect Ontario communities. Of the total list, more than half is comprised of public service organizations like school boards, hospitals and public boards of health, which in large part is comprised of nurses and teachers.”
Related: Most Ontarians oppose Doug Ford’s Freedom of Information changes
With that said, let’s dig in.
Ken Hartwick, president of Ontario Power Generation, was the province’s highest-paid civil servant, earning $1,907,408 last year.
Nicolle Butcher, OPG’s CEO, is second highest on the list, with $1,596,218.
Steve Gregoris, OPG’s chief nuclear officer, was third, with $1,092,854.
You’re likely wondering how much Premier Doug Ford earned last year, especially with the Sunshine List arriving the day after the provincial budget was announced. He came in at $269,567. His former chief of staff, Patrick Sackville, earned $340,717. His new chief of staff, Travis Kann, earned $299,356. (Prior to his recent promotion, Kann was principal secretary and head of Ontario-US Engagement, and formerly Ford’s deputy chief of staff, strategy and communications.)
Opposition leader Marit Stiles brought in $233,334.
Mayor Olivia Chow earned $240,349.
Kevin Smith, president and CEO of University Health Network, earned $939,603.
Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay earned $327,439.
Following Chow’s approval of a $1.43-billion police budget, it’s fair to wonder what the chiefs of police earned last year. Toronto Police chief Myron Demkiw brought in $445,366, and Peel Regional Police chief Nishan Duraiappah earned $604,449. York Regional Police chief Jim MacSween, who recently announced his retirement, earned $455,692.
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
