Ontario’s 2008 sunshine list: every disclosed public-sector salary for the year, with top earners, sectors, and employers.
In 2008, 53,817 employees at 1,139 Ontario public-sector employers were disclosed on the province’s sunshine list. The average disclosed salary was $128,841 and the median was $115,001 — the disclosure covers only employees above the $100,000 threshold in force that year, not the entire public-sector workforce.
Compared with 2007, the list grew by 11,051 names (+26%, from 42,766 to 53,817), and the average disclosed salary fell 0% from $128,895.
The highest-paid person on the 2008 list was James F Hankinson (President/Chief Executive Officer) at Ontario Power Generation, at $2,475,800. The full top 25 is below; for interactive filtering of all 53,817 records, use the data explorer or see the Ontario dashboard for the latest year.
Top 25 by salary on the 2008 disclosure. Click a name for their full year-by-year profile.
| # | Name | Position | Employer | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James F Hankinson | President/Chief Executive Officer | Ontario Power Generation | $2,475,800 |
| 2 | Michael Nobrega | President/Chief Executive Officer, OMERS | OMERS Administration Corporation | $1,926,358 |
| 3 | Pierre R Charlebois | Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer | Ontario Power Generation | $1,460,071 |
| 4 | Laura Formusa | President/Chief Executive Officer | Hydro One | $924,437 |
| 5 | Thomas Mitchell | Chief Nuclear Officer | Ontario Power Generation | $924,085 |
| 6 | William Robinson | Senior Vice President, Nuclear Refurbishment | Ontario Power Generation | $903,228 |
| 7 | Patrick Crowley | Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer, OMERS | OMERS Administration Corporation | $838,913 |
| 8 | James Twomey | Executive Vice President, Fossil | Ontario Power Generation | $783,243 |
| 9 | James Donegan | President/Chief Executive Officer, OMERS Capital Markets | OMERS Administration Corporation | $746,176 |
| 10 | Debbie Oakley | Senior Vice President, Sponsor & Government Relations | OMERS Administration Corporation | $740,807 |
| 11 | Robert S Bell | President/Chief Executive Officer | University Health Network | $736,800 |
| 12 | John D Murphy | Executive Vice President, Hydro | Ontario Power Generation | $733,074 |
| 13 | Clifford Nordal | President/CEO, London Health Sciences Centre/St. Joseph's Health Care, London | St. Joseph's Health Care, London | $719,137 |
| 14 | Jennifer Brown | Executive Vice President/Chief Pension Officer, OMERS | OMERS Administration Corporation | $712,777 |
| 15 | Kirby Connor | Managing Director, Fixed Income & Derivatives | OMERS Administration Corporation | $711,416 |
| 16 | W. David Wilson | Chair | Ontario Securities Commission | $705,605 |
| 17 | William Reichman | President/Chief Executive Officer | Baycrest Centre For Geriatric Care | $693,222 |
| 18 | Mary J Haddad | President/Chief Executive Officer | The Hospital For Sick Children | $679,622 |
| 19 | Joseph Mapa | President/Chief Executive Officer | Mount Sinai Hospital | $677,908 |
| 20 | Jeffrey C Lozon | President/Chief Executive Officer | St. Michael's Hospital | $676,693 |
| 21 | James R Burpee | Executive Vice President, Corporate Development | Ontario Power Generation | $651,677 |
| 22 | Blair Cowper-Smith | Executive Vice President/Chief Legal Officer, OMERS | OMERS Administration Corporation | $643,062 |
| 23 | Kenneth Nash | Senior Vice President, Nuclear Waste | Ontario Power Generation | $643,049 |
| 24 | Barbara L Bale | Managing Director, Canadian Equity | OMERS Administration Corporation | $637,365 |
| 25 | Donald Stuss | Vice President, Research | Baycrest Centre For Geriatric Care | $636,985 |
| Sector | Employees | Avg Salary | Top Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universities | 10,472 | $132,906 | $524,435 |
| Municipalities & Services | 10,118 | $116,136 | $326,464 |
| Ontario Power Generation | 9,259 | $132,229 | $2,475,800 |
| School Boards | 5,998 | $111,543 | $268,995 |
| Government of Ontario – Ministries | 5,968 | $126,755 | $458,154 |
| Hospitals & Boards of Public Health | 5,661 | $143,710 | $736,800 |
| Crown Agencies | 2,560 | $143,500 | $1,926,358 |
| Other Public Sector Employers | 1,853 | $134,015 | $611,910 |
| Colleges | 1,105 | $123,314 | $405,794 |
| Government of Ontario – Judiciary | 619 | $199,402 | $314,095 |
| Government of Ontario – Legislative Assembly and Offices | 204 | $138,411 | $242,772 |
The 15 employers with the most disclosed employees in 2008.
| Employer | Sector | Employees | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario Power Generation | Ontario Power Generation | 6,952 | $134,602 |
| Hydro One | Ontario Power Generation | 2,279 | $125,129 |
| University Of Toronto | Universities | 2,225 | $143,983 |
| Community Safety & Correctional Services | Government of Ontario – Ministries | 1,976 | $114,178 |
| City Of Toronto | Municipalities & Services | 1,552 | $118,134 |
| Attorney General | Government of Ontario – Ministries | 1,494 | $154,945 |
| York University | Universities | 1,095 | $132,267 |
| City Of Toronto - Police Service | Municipalities & Services | 1,006 | $111,987 |
| City Of Ottawa | Municipalities & Services | 980 | $118,140 |
| McMaster University | Universities | 793 | $133,175 |
| University Of Western Ontario | Universities | 792 | $133,570 |
| University Of Waterloo | Universities | 774 | $133,447 |
| Queen's University | Universities | 766 | $132,641 |
| Toronto District School Board | School Boards | 752 | $112,876 |
| University Of Ottawa | Universities | 685 | $124,541 |
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 53,817 in 2008 — roughly 12× 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.