Ontario’s 2017 sunshine list: every disclosed public-sector salary for the year, with top earners, sectors, and employers.
In 2017, 131,909 employees at 1,853 Ontario public-sector employers were disclosed on the province’s sunshine list. The average disclosed salary was $127,622 and the median was $115,881 — the disclosure covers only employees above the $100,000 threshold in force that year, not the entire public-sector workforce.
Compared with 2016, the list grew by 7,464 names (+6%, from 124,445 to 131,909), and the average disclosed salary rose 0.3% from $127,252.
The highest-paid person on the 2017 list was Jeffrey Lyash (President and Chief Executive Officer) at Ontario Power Generation, at $1,554,457. The full top 25 is below; for interactive filtering of all 131,909 records, use the data explorer or see the Ontario dashboard for the latest year.
Top 25 by salary on the 2017 disclosure. Click a name for their full year-by-year profile.
| Sector | Employees | Avg Salary | Top Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipalities & Services | 40,798 | $119,592 | $359,314 |
| Universities | 18,616 | $151,336 | $936,089 |
| School Boards | 18,254 | $112,272 | $301,875 |
| Hospitals & Boards of Public Health | 15,567 | $126,681 | $722,875 |
| Government of Ontario – Ministries | 15,235 | $124,862 | $472,397 |
| Ontario Power Generation | 7,878 | $143,603 | $1,554,457 |
| Other Public Sector Employers | 6,261 | $132,078 | $749,863 |
| Crown Agencies | 5,840 | $132,738 | $745,212 |
| Colleges | 2,350 | $123,248 | $432,959 |
| Government of Ontario – Judiciary | 621 | $204,665 | $381,691 |
| Government of Ontario – Legislative Assembly and Offices | 329 | $134,089 | $313,114 |
| Seconded (Education)* | 101 | $127,863 | $201,488 |
| Seconded (Community Safety and Correctional Services)* | 46 | $119,677 | $176,975 |
| Seconded (Children and Youth Services)* | 6 | $108,905 | $129,433 |
| Seconded (Advanced Education and Skills Development)* | 4 | $183,184 | $201,600 |
| Seconded (Attorney General)* | 1 | $109,159 | $109,159 |
| Seconded (Health and Long-Term Care)* | 1 | $101,663 | $101,663 |
| Seconded (Ministry of Labour)* | 1 | $114,438 | $114,438 |
The 15 employers with the most disclosed employees in 2017.
| Employer | Sector | Employees | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario Power Generation | Ontario Power Generation | 7,878 | $143,603 |
| Community Safety and Correctional Services / Sécurité communautaire et Services correctionnels | Government of Ontario – Ministries | 6,210 | $119,572 |
| City Of Toronto | Municipalities & Services | 5,872 | $120,027 |
| City Of Toronto - Police Service | Municipalities & Services | 4,828 | $121,603 |
| University Of Toronto | Universities | 3,738 | $159,903 |
| City Of Toronto - Toronto Transit Commission | Municipalities & Services | 2,632 | $116,658 |
| Toronto District School Board | School Boards | 2,579 | $112,119 |
| City Of Ottawa | Municipalities & Services | 2,115 | $117,721 |
| Attorney General / Procureur Général | Government of Ontario – Ministries | 1,917 | $171,956 |
| York University | Seconded (Advanced Education and Skills Development)* | 1,681 | $153,792 |
| Regional Municipality Of Peel Police Services | Municipalities & Services | 1,645 | $119,620 |
| City Of Hamilton | Municipalities & Services | 1,569 | $117,907 |
| University Of Ottawa | Universities | 1,496 | $148,829 |
| University Of Waterloo | Universities | 1,450 | $151,388 |
| University Of Western Ontario | Seconded (Advanced Education and Skills Development)* | 1,358 | $149,626 |