Ontario’s 1996 sunshine list: every disclosed public-sector salary for the year, with top earners, sectors, and employers.
In 1996, 4,501 employees at 441 Ontario public-sector employers were disclosed on the province’s sunshine list. The average disclosed salary was $121,495 and the median was $113,423 — the disclosure covers only employees above the $100,000 threshold in force that year, not the entire public-sector workforce.
The highest-paid person on the 1996 list was O Kupcis (PRESIDENT & CEO) at Ontario Hydro, at $502,853. The full top 25 is below; for interactive filtering of all 4,501 records, use the data explorer or see the Ontario dashboard for the latest year.
Top 25 by salary on the 1996 disclosure. Click a name for their full year-by-year profile.
| # | Name | Position | Employer | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | O Kupcis | PRESIDENT & CEO | Ontario Hydro | $502,853 |
| 2 | Robert Vinson | Chief of Diagnostic Imaging | Woodstock General Hospital Trust | $392,801 |
| 3 | Michael Strofolino | President & CEO | The Hospital For Sick Children | $390,000 |
| 4 | E Clitheroe | EXEC VP, CFO & MGNG DIR-CORP BUS GROUP | Ontario Hydro | $383,800 |
| 5 | J Fox | EXEC VP & MGNG DIR-CUSTOMER SERVICES GR | Ontario Hydro | $382,942 |
| 6 | Alan Hudson | President & Chief Executive Officer | The Toronto Hospital | $357,500 |
| 7 | J Shaw | ON ASSIGNMENT TO INPO - ATLANTA GA. | Ontario Hydro | $352,003 |
| 8 | G Hugh | EXEC VP & MANAGING DIR, GENRTN BUS GRP | Ontario Hydro | $351,897 |
| 9 | John H. Wedge | Surgeon-in-Chief | The Hospital For Sick Children | $350,004 |
| 10 | Robert M. Filler | Medical Director External Relations | The Hospital For Sick Children | $348,704 |
| 11 | J. Jackman | President & CEO | Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation | $341,897 |
| 12 | Carter Snead | Physician | The Hospital For Sick Children | $331,847 |
| 13 | P. Reid | Executive Vice-President | Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation | $328,351 |
| 14 | Stephen Herbert | President & CEO | Baycrest Centre For Geriatric Care | $326,218 |
| 15 | C Sanford | INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENT - PERU | Ontario Hydro | $316,531 |
| 16 | Robert H. Haslam | Physician | The Hospital For Sick Children | $309,605 |
| 17 | Tony Dagnone | President & CEO | London Health Sciences Centre | $299,999 |
| 18 | Wiliam Sibbald | Physician | London Health Sciences Centre | $295,233 |
| 19 | J Stothers | DIRECTOR, INTERNAL INVESTMENTS - PENSION FUND | Ontario Hydro | $284,955 |
| 20 | Theodore Freedman | PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | Mount Sinai Hospital | $279,390 |
| 21 | Arnold Aberman | Prof. of Med., Dean of the Fac. of Med. and Vice-Provost of Relat. with Health Care Instit. | University Of Toronto | $278,683 |
| 22 | D Maccarthy | SENIOR V P - HUMAN RES. - RETIRED | Ontario Hydro | $272,375 |
| 23 | L Leonoff | SENIOR VICE-PRES, GENERAL COUNSEL & SEC | Ontario Hydro | $264,227 |
| 24 | Philip Hassen | President & CEO | St. Joseph's Health Centre, London | $264,000 |
| 25 | Geoffrey Barker | Chief Critical Care | The Hospital For Sick Children | $262,608 |
| Sector | Employees | Avg Salary | Top Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universities | 1,190 | $116,517 | $278,683 |
| Government of Ontario – Ministries | 986 | $120,231 | $236,925 |
| Hospitals & Boards of Public Health | 841 | $139,891 | $392,801 |
| Crown Agencies | 598 | $118,913 | $502,853 |
| School Boards | 382 | $110,595 | $153,486 |
| Municipalities & Services | 272 | $112,387 | $155,001 |
| Other Public Sector Employers | 193 | $121,704 | $326,218 |
| Colleges | 39 | $117,502 | $183,482 |
The 15 employers with the most disclosed employees in 1996.
| Employer | Sector | Employees | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attorney General | Government of Ontario – Ministries | 624 | $116,480 |
| University Of Toronto | Universities | 517 | $116,586 |
| Ontario Hydro | Crown Agencies | 479 | $118,799 |
| Health | Government of Ontario – Ministries | 161 | $139,978 |
| The University of Western Ontario | Universities | 137 | $123,628 |
| The Hospital For Sick Children | Hospitals & Boards of Public Health | 127 | $144,963 |
| The Ontario Cancer Treatment & Research Foundation | Hospitals & Boards of Public Health | 109 | $117,342 |
| University Of Ottawa | Universities | 76 | $114,358 |
| McMaster University | Universities | 72 | $119,180 |
| York University | Universities | 71 | $116,868 |
| Queen's University at Kingston | Universities | 66 | $117,857 |
| Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation | Hospitals & Boards of Public Health | 62 | $149,568 |
| Workers' Compensation Board | Crown Agencies | 53 | $118,082 |
| University Of Windsor | Universities | 49 | $110,764 |
| The Toronto Hospital | Hospitals & Boards of Public Health | 48 | $150,580 |
Ontario’s Sunshine List is the original Canadian salary disclosure: the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act, 1996, passed under the Harris government, requires every organization that receives provincial funding — ministries, municipalities, hospitals, school boards, universities, and Crown corporations — to publish the name, position, salary, and taxable benefits of every employee paid $100,000 or more. This site carries the complete disclosure record from 1996 through 2025, including the inaugural 1996 list of just 4,501 names.
The $100,000 threshold has never been adjusted for inflation. In today’s dollars it would sit near $185,000 — which is why the list has grown from 4,501 people in 1996 to 4,501 in 1996 — roughly 1× more. What began as a register of senior executives now includes nurses, teachers, police constables, and transit operators. Track that expansion year by year in 30 years of Sunshine List growth or see who tops the current list on the Ontario Sunshine List 2025 page.
Ontario’s disclosure is also one of seven this site covers — compare public-sector pay with British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Newfoundland & Labrador, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan, each with its own threshold and disclosure rules. For how the Ontario list works — who is included, when it comes out, and what counts as salary — see the Sunshine List FAQ.