Nova Scotia’s 2026 compensation disclosure: every disclosed public-sector compensation for the year, with top earners, sectors, and employers.
In 2026, 18,544 employees at 66 Nova Scotia public-sector employers were disclosed on the province’s compensation disclosure (FY 2025-26, the fiscal year ending in 2026). The average disclosed compensation was $121,928 and the median was $112,457 — the disclosure covers only employees above the $100,000 threshold in force that year, not the entire public-sector workforce.
Compared with 2025, the list grew by 1,472 names (+8.6%, from 17,072 to 18,544), and the average disclosed compensation fell 0.2% from $122,216.
The highest-paid person on the 2026 list was Donald Robichaud at Nova Scotia Health Authority, at $551,485. The full top 25 is below; for interactive filtering of all 18,544 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 2026 disclosure. Click a name for their full year-by-year profile.
| Sector | Employees | Avg Compensation | Top Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 8,803 | $120,478 | $551,485 |
| Education | 5,431 | $108,948 | $202,825 |
| Universities & Colleges | 3,796 | $140,043 | $471,823 |
| Crown Corporations | 236 | $134,916 | $355,380 |
| Government Agencies | 157 | $191,416 | $384,185 |
| Community Services | 72 | $124,560 | $190,890 |
| Housing | 39 | $124,293 | $323,508 |
| Culture & Recreation | 10 | $145,678 | $258,084 |
The 15 employers with the most disclosed employees in 2026.
| Employer | Sector | Employees | Avg Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nova Scotia Health Authority | Health | 7,830 | $120,500 |
| Halifax Regional Centre for Education | Education | 2,222 | $108,839 |
| Dalhousie University | Universities & Colleges | 1,565 | $151,853 |
| Izaak Walton Killam Health Centre | Health | 920 | $119,531 |
| Chignecto Central Regional Centre for Education | Education | 862 | $108,047 |
| Nova Scotia Community College | Universities & Colleges | 759 | $115,407 |
| Cape Breton Victoria Regional Centre for Education | Education | 637 | $110,204 |
| Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education | Education | 503 | $108,924 |
| Strait Regional Centre for Education | Education | 341 | $108,172 |
| Saint Mary's University | Universities & Colleges | 334 | $150,798 |
| South Shore Regional Centre for Education | Education | 309 | $109,053 |
| St Francis Xavier University | Universities & Colleges | 299 | $137,777 |
| Cape Breton University | Universities & Colleges | 294 | $133,721 |
| Tri-County Regional Centre for Education | Education | 290 | $108,881 |
| Conseil scolaire acadien provincial | Education | 261 | $110,482 |