Ontario’s 1997 sunshine list: every disclosed public-sector salary for the year, with top earners, sectors, and employers.
In 1997, 5,378 employees at 467 Ontario public-sector employers were disclosed on the province’s sunshine list. The average disclosed salary was $121,940 and the median was $113,833 — the disclosure covers only employees above the $100,000 threshold in force that year, not the entire public-sector workforce.
Compared with 1996, the list grew by 877 names (+19%, from 4,501 to 5,378), and the average disclosed salary rose 0.4% from $121,495.
The highest-paid person on the 1997 list was O Kupcis (PRESIDENT & CEO) at Ontario Hydro, at $717,800. The full top 25 is below; for interactive filtering of all 5,378 records, use the data explorer or see the Ontario dashboard for the latest year.
Top 25 by salary on the 1997 disclosure. Click a name for their full year-by-year profile.
| # | Name | Position | Employer | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | O Kupcis | PRESIDENT & CEO | Ontario Hydro | $717,800 |
| 2 | J Fox | EVP, MANAGING DIRECTOR, GENCO | Ontario Hydro | $410,130 |
| 3 | Michael Strofolino | President & CEO | Hosp. for Sick Children -Toronto | $409,800 |
| 4 | E Clitheroe | EXEC VP, CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, CFO | Ontario Hydro | $407,524 |
| 5 | R Field | GENERAL MANAGER, NUCLEAR BUSINESS UNIT | Ontario Hydro | $380,000 |
| 6 | Alan Hudson | President & Chief Executive Officer | Toronto Hospital | $376,667 |
| 7 | W Farlinger | CHAIRMAN AND CEO | Ontario Hydro | $350,131 |
| 8 | John H. Wedge | Surgeon-in-Chief | Hosp. for Sick Children -Toronto | $350,004 |
| 9 | Carter Snead | Physician | Hosp. for Sick Children -Toronto | $348,823 |
| 10 | R. Scott Rowand | President & CEO | Hamilton Health Sciences Corp. | $330,476 |
| 11 | Charles G Sanford | DIRECTOR, FIELD & ENGINEERING SERVICES | Ontario Hydro | $329,331 |
| 12 | Stephen Herbert | President & CEO | Baycrest Centre For Geriatric Care | $327,001 |
| 13 | Thomas Closson | President & CEO | Sunnybrook Health Sci. Ctr.-Toronto | $319,503 |
| 14 | Michael O'Keefe | President & Chief Exec. Officer | Workplace Safety & Insurance Brd. | $315,962 |
| 15 | Robert H. Haslam | Physician | Hosp. for Sick Children -Toronto | $309,600 |
| 16 | Sandra Jelenich | President & CEO | Wellesley Central Hospital | $300,009 |
| 17 | Tony Dagnone | President & CEO | London Health Sciences Ctr. | $300,000 |
| 18 | Charles Hollenberg | President & CEO | Cancer Care Ontario | $295,219 |
| 19 | C Gyles | SR VP, CORPORATE HUMAN RESOURCES | Ontario Hydro | $287,685 |
| 20 | Wiliam Sibbald | Sr. Advisor, Critical Care | London Health Sciences Ctr. | $285,756 |
| 21 | Michael Baker | V.P. Med. Directorate & Physician-in-Chief | Toronto Hospital | $285,670 |
| 22 | Arnold Aberman | Prof. of Medicine, Dean- Faculty of Medicine | Toronto | $285,122 |
| 23 | L Leonoff | SENIOR VICE-PRES, GENERAL COUNSEL & SEC | Ontario Hydro | $281,822 |
| 24 | Jacques Labelle | President | Ottawa General Hospital | $281,804 |
| 25 | K H Talbot | SITE VICE-PRESIDENT, PICKERING | Ontario Hydro | $271,985 |
| Sector | Employees | Avg Salary | Top Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universities | 1,439 | $116,295 | $285,122 |
| Government of Ontario – Ministries | 1,113 | $123,969 | $256,817 |
| Crown Agencies | 1,086 | $118,332 | $717,800 |
| Hospitals & Boards of Public Health | 765 | $143,842 | $409,800 |
| School Boards | 403 | $112,470 | $174,745 |
| Municipalities & Services | 323 | $113,876 | $189,062 |
| Other Public Sector Employers | 210 | $120,223 | $210,000 |
| Colleges | 39 | $117,045 | $148,547 |
The 15 employers with the most disclosed employees in 1997.
| Employer | Sector | Employees | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario Hydro | Crown Agencies | 779 | $116,704 |
| Toronto | Universities | 630 | $116,811 |
| Attorney General | Government of Ontario – Ministries | 621 | $118,654 |
| Health | Government of Ontario – Ministries | 211 | $144,512 |
| Hosp. for Sick Children -Toronto | Hospitals & Boards of Public Health | 140 | $144,814 |
| Western Ont. | Universities | 138 | $121,380 |
| Cancer Care Ontario | Crown Agencies | 123 | $118,572 |
| Ottawa | Universities | 107 | $112,375 |
| Waterloo | Universities | 90 | $109,123 |
| York | Universities | 81 | $118,354 |
| McMaster | Universities | 77 | $123,510 |
| Queen's | Universities | 74 | $118,949 |
| Hamilton Health Sciences Corp. | Hospitals & Boards of Public Health | 61 | $149,009 |
| Workplace Safety & Insurance Brd. | Crown Agencies | 60 | $121,547 |
| City Of Toronto | Municipalities & Services | 52 | $115,934 |