Public sector workers make much more than those in private sector
Yorkregion.com
March 27, 2015
By Lisa Queen
In the same week a new report shows public sector workers make 18 to 37 per cent more than employees doing comparable jobs in the private sector, comes this year’s Ontario Sunshine List.
The list, released Friday, discloses public sector workers with salaries of $100,000 or more.
A report this week from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business shows an ongoing significant gap between public and private employees, according to the latest findings based on a 2011 national household survey, representing earnings from 2010.
“The broad public sector is a major employer in Canada. As a group, it employs 3.6 million Canadians - more than one job in five. Because the large share of these jobs is supported in whole or in part by tax revenues, it is certainly appropriate to question how representative and appropriate public sector salaries are in relation to private sector norms,” the federation’s chief economist Ted Mallet said in the report.
“(The findings) show a continued and substantial gap in salary compensation in favour of government or public sector employees, even after adjustments for differences in occupation mix, age and education. The gaps grow even wider once employment benefits, such as working hours and pensions, are taken into account. The impacts on the public purse are significant, adding almost $20 billion to the hard costs of compensating the public sector in 2010.”
For the first time, the number of public sector employees on the Sunshine List topped 100,000 this year.
In fact, there are the more than 111,400 names on the list, including thousands from York Region.
Many of those were paid more than $200,000, including former York Region chairperson Bill Fisch, who took home $207,198.67 in salary and an additional $18,051.14 in taxable benefits.
Regional chief administrative officer Bruce Macgregor was paid $301,621.26 and received another $14,441.77 in taxable benefits.
Medical officer of health Dr. Karim Kurji’s salary was $278,691.95, while his taxable benefits were $3,210.06.
Meanwhile, associate medical officer of health, Dr. John Richard Gould made $261,818.28 in salary and $1,103.64 in taxable benefits, while associate medical officer of health, Dr. Lilian Yuan, earned a salary of $241,814.89 and taxable benefits of $1,2126.39.
Adelina Urbanski, commissioner of community and health services, took home $244,051.26 in salary and $12,202.36 in taxable benefits.
Regional treasurer Bill Hughes earned $223,045.29 in salary and $12,087.83 in taxable benefits, while transportation services commissioner Daniel Kostopoulos was paid $208,962.44 in salary and received $12,029.72 in taxable benefits.
Environmental services commissioner Erin Mahoney took home $222,050.30 in salary and $12,087.83 in taxable benefits.
Dino Basso, commissioner of corporate services, earned $221,052.09 in salary and $12,087.83 in taxable benefits.
York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe earned $249,584.66 in salary and another $9,424.22 in taxable benefits.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Tom Carrique received a salary of $217,802.72 and $10,705.39 in taxable benefits, while Deputy Chief Andre Crawford took home a salary of $188,335.18 and $15,426.85 in taxable benefits.
Running a hospital is where the big money is.
Southlake Regional Health Centre president Dr. Dave Williams earned a salary of $479,470.96 and taxable benefits of $2,428.35.
At Mackenzie Health, president Altaf Stationwala took home $466,763.99 in salary and $13.982.76 in taxable benefits.
Janet Beed, who announced in November she was stepping down as president and CEO of Markham-Stouffville Hospital, was paid $418,964.68 in salary and $10,612.76 in taxable benefits.
