Georgina CAO tops 57 town staffers on province's Sunshine List

YorkRegion.com
March 26, 2018
Heidi Riedner

Georgina’s CAO was the top wage earner out of the 57 Town employees on the province’s Sunshine List for 2017.

The Public Salary Disclosure Act, brought in under Mike Harris’ Progressive Conservative government in 1996, requires organizations that receive public funding from the province to annually disclose the names, positions, salaries and total taxable benefits of employees paid $100,000 or more in a calendar year.

It is commonly known as the Sunshine List since its intent was to shine light on top earners in Ontario’s public service, including those working for provincial and municipal governments, hospitals, school boards, police and fire departments. It was released last Friday.

As Georgina’s highest ranking staff member, CAO Winanne Grant made $207,462.84, followed by former director of operations and infrastructure, Dan Pisani, at $160,446.18, director of human resources, Bev Moffatt, at $160,395.57, and director of development services, Harold Lenters, at $160,071.38.

John Armstrong, who was also listed as director of operations and infrastructure on the list reflecting his acting title at the end of 2017 earned $160,428.60. He was brought on board last year to assist the department with vacancies in both parks and facilities and roads and water manager positions, HR director Bev Moffatt explained.

Armstrong stayed on with the town when Pisani was seconded — or temporarily assigned — to the special projects manager role prior to his departure.

A secondment title is not typically reflected on the sunshine list unless the employer was to input it that way, Moffatt added.

The top-10 wage earners — all making between $133,314.16 and $207,462,84 — include eight directors, as well as Georgina Fire Department’s deputy fire chief and one full-time captain.

It also includes four senior management personnel who left their positions with the town, including director of corporate services and treasurer, Rebecca Mathewson, and manager of development engineering, Mike Baskerville, both of whom retired last year.

Director of recreation and culture, Robin McDougall, left for a position with the Town of Aurora last month, and director of operations and infrastructure Dan Pisani, abruptly left his position Feb. 16 with no further explanation from the town other than that he was “pursuing other opportunities”.