Nova Scotia’s 2019 compensation disclosure: every disclosed public-sector compensation for the year, with top earners, sectors, and employers.
In 2019, 7,644 employees at 62 Nova Scotia 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 $124,822 and the median was $116,820 — the disclosure covers only employees above the $100,000 threshold in force that year, not the entire public-sector workforce.
Compared with 2018, the list grew by 4,087 names (+115%, from 3,557 to 7,644), and the average disclosed compensation fell 2.4% from $127,880.
The highest-paid person on the 2019 list was Sean Riley at St Francis Xavier University, at $574,406. The full top 25 is below; for interactive filtering of all 7,644 records, use the data explorer or see the Nova Scotia dashboard for the latest year.
Nova Scotia's $100,000 disclosure threshold has been unchanged since the Act passed in 2010 and is not indexed to inflation, so the number of people disclosed grows as wages rise past a fixed line — year-over-year growth is not by itself evidence of rising pay or headcount. Two further caveats: the province paid out frozen public-sector service awards as lump sums in 2018 and 2019, which pushed a one-time cohort over the threshold in those years; and until 2019 school boards reported under the Education Act rather than this Act, so their earlier figures come from a differently-titled (but equivalent) remuneration schedule.
Top 25 by compensation on the 2019 disclosure. Click a name for their full year-by-year profile.
| Sector | Employees | Avg Compensation | Top Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 2,936 | $119,580 | $412,772 |
| Universities & Colleges | 2,380 | $136,876 | $574,406 |
| Education | 2,069 | $116,865 | $249,308 |
| Crown Corporations | 144 | $135,621 | $322,708 |
| Government Agencies | 80 | $148,215 | $226,471 |
| Housing | 20 | $115,461 | $155,104 |
| Community Services | 11 | $118,530 | $145,063 |
| Culture & Recreation | 4 | $124,044 | $159,654 |
The 15 employers with the most disclosed employees in 2019.
| Employer | Sector | Employees | Avg Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nova Scotia Health Authority | Health | 2,540 | $119,224 |
| Dalhousie University | Universities & Colleges | 1,063 | $147,537 |
| Halifax Regional Centre for Education | Education | 1,022 | $121,352 |
| Nova Scotia Community College | Universities & Colleges | 392 | $116,739 |
| Izaak Walton Killam Health Centre | Health | 375 | $122,240 |
| Cape Breton Victoria Regional Centre for Education | Education | 293 | $110,108 |
| Chignecto Central Regional Centre for Education | Education | 259 | $112,890 |
| Saint Mary's University | Universities & Colleges | 223 | $139,704 |
| St Francis Xavier University | Universities & Colleges | 195 | $132,198 |
| Acadia University | Universities & Colleges | 169 | $127,520 |
| Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education | Education | 157 | $111,651 |
| Cape Breton University | Universities & Colleges | 136 | $137,133 |
| Mount Saint Vincent University | Universities & Colleges | 112 | $132,906 |
| South Shore Regional Centre for Education | Education | 101 | $112,849 |
| Tri-County Regional Centre for Education | Education | 94 | $113,571 |
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