Sunshine list shines light on need for hard cap on public sector CEO salaries
"we have a hard cap on public salaries, Ontarians can expect to see the pay packets of public executives continue to grow at the expense of public services", said Horwath. “A single million-dollar salary is enough to keep over a dozen nurses on the job. Ontarians want their government to know where its priorities should be.”
QUEEN’S PARK, ON – New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath renewed her call for a hard cap on public sector CEO salaries following the release of the 2012 Sunshine list.
“When public sector CEOs are getting pay hikes that are bigger than most people’s paycheques something’s not working. We need a hard cap on CEO pay in the public sector,” said Horwath. “Money that should be going to frontline health care or lowering tuition fees, is being spent on CEO salaries, and that’s not fair for families who are struggling.”
Horwath has reiterated her call to cap publicly-paid executive salaries at double the salary of Ontario’s Premier. The Premier’s current salary is $209,000. According to the provincial sunshine list, there are over 25 public sector energy executives making more than twice the Premier’s salary, and while everyday Ontarians are told to tighten their belts, public sector executives continue to receive generous raises on top of six-figure salaries.
- Tom Mitchell, the CEO of Ontario Power Generation made $1.7 million
- Laura Formusa, the CEO of Hydro One made $1.036 million, with a raise of over $70,000 (almost twice the pay of the average Ontarian)
- The CEO of London Health Sciences Centre made over $600,900, including a raise of over $45,000
- The CEO of Sunnybrook in Toronto made over $760,000, including a raise of over $50,000
- The CEO of St. Joseph’s Health Centre in London made $470,000, including a raise of $20,000
- CEOs at all 5 major downtown Toronto hospitals made well above a proposed cap of $418,000
“we have a hard cap on public salaries, Ontarians can expect to see the pay packets of public executives continue to grow at the expense of public services”, said Horwath. “A single million-dollar salary is enough to keep over a dozen nurses on the job. Ontarians want their government to know where its priorities should be.”
