Ontario Sunshine List 2018

Ontario’s 2018 sunshine list: every disclosed public-sector salary for the year, with top earners, sectors, and employers.

151,375
employees disclosed
$127,230
average salary
$115,487
median salary
$1,746,825
highest salary

In 2018, 151,375 employees at 1,889 Ontario public-sector employers were disclosed on the province’s sunshine list. The average disclosed salary was $127,230 and the median was $115,487 — the disclosure covers only employees above the $100,000 threshold in force that year, not the entire public-sector workforce.

Compared with 2017, the list grew by 19,466 names (+15%, from 131,909 to 151,375), and the average disclosed salary fell 0.3% from $127,622.

The highest-paid person on the 2018 list was Jeffrey Lyash (President and Chief Executive Officer) at Ontario Power Generation, at $1,746,825. The full top 25 is below; for interactive filtering of all 151,375 records, use the data explorer or see the Ontario dashboard for the latest year.

Highest-paid public-sector employees in Ontario, 2018

Top 25 by salary on the 2018 disclosure. Click a name for their full year-by-year profile.

#NamePositionEmployerSalary
1Jeffrey LyashPresident and Chief Executive OfficerOntario Power Generation$1,746,825
2Daren SmithPresident and Chief Investment Officer, University of Toronto Asset Management CorporationUniversity Of Toronto$989,308
3Glenn JagerNuclear President and Chief Nuclear OfficerOntario Power Generation$962,749
4Mark FullerPresident and Chief Executive Officer / Président et chef de la directionOntario Public Service Pension Board (Ontario Pension Board)$803,552
5Michael ApkonFormer President and Chief Executive OfficerThe Hospital For Sick Children$792,572
6Sean GranvilleChief Nuclear OfficerOntario Power Generation$774,055
7Dietmar E. ReinerSenior Vice President Nuclear ProjectsOntario Power Generation$766,193
8Stephen RigbyPresident and Chief Executive Officer / Président et chef de la directionOntario Lottery And Gaming Corporation$765,407
9William ReichmanPresident and Chief Executive OfficerBaycrest Centre For Geriatric Care$722,875
10Andy SmithPresident and Chief Executive OfficerSunnybrook Health Sciences Centre$714,999
11Peter GreggPresident and Chief Executive officer / Président et chef de la directionIndependent Electricity System Operator$713,502
12Maureen JensenChair and Chief Executive Officer / Présidente et chef de la directionOntario Securities Commission$709,162
13Kevin SmithChief Executive Officer, St. Joseph's Health SystemSt. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton$697,745
14Gary NewtonPresident and Chief Executive OfficerSinai Health System$684,005
15Kenneth HartwickChief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President FinanceOntario Power Generation$682,188
16Mike MartelliPresident, Renewable GenerationOntario Power Generation$680,113
17Michelle DiemanuelePresident and Chief Executive OfficerTrillium Health Partners$671,475
18Catherine ZahnPresident and Chief Executive Officer / Présidente-directrice généraleCentre For Addiction And Mental Health$670,517
19George SoleasPresident and Chief Executive Officer / Président-directeur généralLiquor Control Board Of Ontario$645,969
20Gadi MaymanChief Executive OfficerOntario Financing Authority$636,507
21Christopher GintherChief Administrative OfficerOntario Power Generation$635,989
22Robert MacisaacPresident and Chief Executive OfficerHamilton Health Sciences$633,057
23Rosemarie LeclairChair and Chief Executive Officer / Président-directeur généralOntario Energy Board$621,998
24John KittsPresidentThe Ottawa Hospital$621,239
25Brian DuncanSenior Vice President Nuclear Fleet OperationsOntario Power Generation$592,879

2018 salary by sector

SectorEmployeesAvg SalaryTop Salary
Municipalities & Services44,469$120,769$393,054
School Boards23,281$111,672$377,250
Universities19,601$153,502$989,308
Hospitals & Boards of Public Health18,317$125,047$792,572
Government of Ontario – Ministries16,544$126,364$561,872
Ontario Power Generation7,919$144,820$1,746,825
Other Public Sector Employers6,995$131,651$713,502
Colleges6,584$116,540$432,959
Crown Agencies6,528$132,397$803,552
Government of Ontario – Judiciary633$210,776$331,146
Government of Ontario – Legislative Assembly and Offices347$133,250$320,077
Seconded (Education)*116$131,040$221,442
Seconded (Community Safety and Correctional Services)*31$120,600$142,491
Seconded (Children and Youth Services)*6$106,570$114,231
Seconded (Advanced Education and Skills Development)*2$206,710$211,821
Seconded (Community and Social Services)*1$138,517$138,517
Seconded (Labour)*1$114,877$114,877

Largest employers on the 2018 list

The 15 employers with the most disclosed employees in 2018.

EmployerSectorEmployeesAvg Salary
Ontario Power GenerationOntario Power Generation7,919$144,820
Community Safety and Correctional ServicesGovernment of Ontario – Ministries6,399$122,657
City Of TorontoMunicipalities & Services6,188$119,113
City Of Toronto - Police ServiceMunicipalities & Services4,963$126,264
University Of TorontoSeconded (Advanced Education and Skills Development)*4,037$160,099
Toronto District School BoardSchool Boards3,337$110,859
City Of Toronto - Toronto Transit CommissionMunicipalities & Services2,734$115,941
City Of OttawaMunicipalities & Services2,484$116,044
Attorney GeneralGovernment of Ontario – Ministries2,032$170,539
Regional Municipality Of Peel Police ServicesMunicipalities & Services1,784$122,546
City Of HamiltonMunicipalities & Services1,761$122,649
York UniversityUniversities1,691$154,887
University Of WaterlooUniversities1,556$153,687
University Of OttawaUniversities1,530$150,770
York Region District School BoardSchool Boards1,491$110,093

Other years

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Ontario Sunshine List 2017·Ontario Sunshine List 2019

The Sunshine List, explained: 30 years of disclosure

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 151,375 in 2018 — roughly 34× 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.