British Columbia Sunshine List 2019 (FY 2018-19)

British Columbia’s 2019 compensation disclosure: every disclosed public-sector compensation for the year, with top earners, sectors, and employers.

10,288
employees disclosed
$100,742
average compensation
$89,163
median compensation
$938,499
highest compensation

In 2019, 10,288 employees at 116 British Columbia public-sector employers were disclosed on the province’s compensation disclosure (FY 2018-19, the fiscal year ending in 2019). The average disclosed compensation was $100,742 and the median was $89,163 — the disclosure covers only employees above the $75,000 threshold in force that year, not the entire public-sector workforce.

Compared with 2018, the list grew by 1,230 names (+14%, from 9,058 to 10,288), and the average disclosed compensation fell 1.2% from $101,924.

The highest-paid person on the 2019 list was Thomas Bechard (Pres & CEO Powerex) at BC Hydro, at $938,499. The full top 25 is below; for interactive filtering of all 10,288 records, use the data explorer or see the British Columbia dashboard for the latest year.

FY 2025 figures include school district SOFI data (~21K employees over $75K) that wasn't ingested for prior fiscal years; the headcount increase is partly a coverage change, not a workforce change. FY 2010 is missing from the source data.

Highest-paid public-sector employees in British Columbia, 2019

Top 25 by compensation on the 2019 disclosure. Click a name for their full year-by-year profile.

#NamePositionEmployerCompensation
1Thomas BechardPres & CEO PowerexBC Hydro$938,499
2Santa J OnoPresident & Vice-ChancellorUniversity of British Columbia$601,772
3Chris O'RileyPresident & COOBC Hydro$554,900
4Brenda LeongChairBC Securities Commission$502,848
5Ken CretneyPresident and CEO (Interim)BC Pavilion Corporation$472,951
6Nicolas JimenezPresident & CEOInsurance Corporation of BC$468,783
7Andrew SzeriVP Academic & ProvostUniversity of British Columbia$444,415
8Andrew PetterPresidentSimon Fraser University$439,910
9James CasselsPresident and Vice ChancellorUniversity of Victoria$432,979
10Mark PoweskaEVP, OperationsBC Hydro$422,746
11Janet FraserEVP, People, Customer, Corp AffairsBC Hydro$418,250
12BC Cancer Agency Malcolm MooreVice President, PHSA and President, BCCA/BCCRCProvincial Health Services Authority$418,154
13Mary AckenhusenPresident and Chief Executive OfficerVancouver Coastal Health Authority$418,094
14Michael MarchbankPresident & Chief Executive OfficerFraser Health Authority$416,843
15Jim LightbodyPresident and CEOBC Lottery Corporation$411,084
16Carl RoyPresident & Chief Executive OfficerProvincial Health Services Authority$403,084
17Diana MilesPresident and CEOWorkSafe BC$398,078
18Bill CarpenterVice President, InsuranceInsurance Corporation of BC$394,873
19Kathy ParslowVP Claims & DL OperationsInsurance Corporation of BC$394,527
20Cathy UlrichPresident & CEONorthern Health Authority$382,039
21Maureen DaschukSVP, Integrated PlanningBC Hydro$380,518
22Gail C MurphyVice-President Research and InnovationUniversity of British Columbia$371,872
23Steve CrombieVP Corp & Stakeholder GovernanceInsurance Corporation of BC$368,563
24Shayne RamsayChief Executive OfficerBC Housing Management Commission$364,949
25Andrew John SimpsonVP Finance & OperationsUniversity of British Columbia$364,599

2019 compensation by sector

SectorEmployeesAvg CompensationTop Compensation
Core Government9,749$96,925$291,789
School Districts251$146,962$350,515
Crown Corporations122$185,787$938,499
Colleges & Institutes88$148,556$308,709
Health Authorities35$256,717$418,154
Universities33$238,967$601,772
Public Service10$201,007$357,501

Largest employers on the 2019 list

The 15 employers with the most disclosed employees in 2019.

EmployerSectorEmployeesAvg Compensation
Province of British ColumbiaCore Government9,749$96,925
BC HydroCrown Corporations18$210,712
Insurance Corporation of BCCrown Corporations8$271,266
BC TransitCrown Corporations7$186,259
Langara CollegeColleges & Institutes7$103,631
Providence Health Care SocietyHealth Authorities7$201,146
School District 61 Greater VictoriaSchool Districts7$145,553
School District 63 SaanichSchool Districts7$107,230
School District 79 Cowichan ValleySchool Districts7$116,355
School District 82 Coast MountainSchool Districts7$127,098
BC Pavilion CorporationCrown Corporations6$168,426
Camosun CollegeColleges & Institutes6$157,797
Community Living BCCrown Corporations6$130,325
Fraser Health AuthorityHealth Authorities6$254,109
Interior Health AuthorityHealth Authorities6$250,421

Other years

2025202420232022202120202019201820172016201520142013201220112009

British Columbia Sunshine List 2018·British Columbia Sunshine List 2020