Edit: We have edited the story to add Dr. Kit Young Hoon's salary from the Northwestern Health Unit. She is now the top earner in northwestern Ontario.
Healthcare workers make up four of the top five public sector salaries in northwestern Ontario, with two of the top three working at the Lake of the Woods District Hospital in Kenora.
Ontario has released its 2021 Sunshine List, which lists the names and salaries of those who make over $100,000 per year in the public sector. The release of the yearly list is mandated by the province.
Familiar names top the list once again in northwestern Ontario.
Pathologists at the Lake of the Woods District Hospital James Kerry Macdonald and John Kelly Macdonald bring home over $320,000 and $315,000 annually, respectively, once again making them two of the top earners in the region, but they're no longer in first and second place.
Medical Officer of Health with the Northwestern Health Unit, Dr. Kit Young Hoon, has topped the list in 2021 with a salary of $325,612.
Northwestern Ontario’s top 5 public sector salaries in 2021 include:
#1 - Medical Officer of Health with the NWHU - Dr. Kit Young Hoon - $325,612
#2 - LOTW Hospital Pathologist and Laboratory Chief of Staff – James Kerry Macdonald - $321,502
#3 - LOTW Hospital Pathologist – John Kelly Macdonald - $315,655
#4 - Executive Director of the Kenora Chiefs Advisory – Joe Barnes - $313,165
#5 - Meno Ya Win Health Centre’s CEO - Heather Lee - $243,593
Across the province, once again, executives with Ontario Power Generation took home the highest salaries in Ontario, taking four of the top five spots. They include:
#1 - OPG President - Kenneth Hartwick - $1,628,246
#2 - OPG Chief Strategy Officer – Dominique Miniere - $1,523,518
#3 - OPG Chief Operations Officer – Sean Granville - $1,064,429
#4 - OPG Chief Projects Officer – Michael Martelli - $1,010,834
#5 - President of the University Health Network Board - Kevin Smith - $845,092
Across the region, school boards continue to be some of the largest employers with listed salaries in the area. The Kenora Catholic District School Board has 75 employees on the list, the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board has 72, and the Northwest Catholic board has 59.
Other high paying employers include the Kenora District Services Board with 38 employees, the Dryden Regional Health Centre and Sioux Lookout’s Meno Ya Win Health Centre both have 36, the Lake of the Woods District Hospital has 35, the City of Dryden has 24, the City of Kenora has 20 and the Municipality of Sioux Lookout with 6.
Local public sector salaries include:
City of Kenora’s Chief Administrative Officer – Kyle Attanasio - $157,867
City of Kenora’s Director of Corporate Services - Heather Pihulak - $127,747
City of Kenora’s Director of Community Services – Stace Gander - $133,325
City of Kenora’s Director of Finances – Charlotte Edie - $133,430
City of Dryden’s Chief Administrative Officer - Roger Nesbitt - $172,298
City of Dryden’s Treasurer - Steven Lansdell-Roll - $144,012
City of Dryden’s Manager of Public Works - Blake Poole - $128,526
Municipality of Sioux Lookout’s CAO - Michelle Larose - $163,276
Municipality of Sioux Lookout’s Treasurer - Carly Collins - $128,960
Municipality of Sioux Lookout’s Manager of Corporate Services - Brian MacKinnon - $138,698
Kenora Catholic’s Director of Education - Paul White - $188,307
Kenora Catholic’s Superintendent of Instructional Services – Jamey Roberston - $136,651
Kenora Catholic’s Superintendent of Instructional Services – Nicole Kurtz - $142,226
Keewatin-Patricia’s Director of Education - Sherri-Lynne Pharand - $214,055
Keewatin-Patricia’s Superintendent of Business – Richard Findlay - $155,472
Keewatin-Patricia’s Superintendent of Education – Chantal Moore - $156,967
Northwest Catholic’s Director of Education - Brendan Hyatt - $192,578
Northwest Catholic’s Superintendent of Education – Jacqueline Robinson - $147,202
Northwest Catholic’s Assistant to the Superintendent - $141,208
Dryden Regional Health Centre CEO - Doreen Armstrong-Ross - $197,805
Lake of the Woods District Hospital President and CEO - Ray Racette - $206,628
Meno Ya Win Health Centre’s CEO - Heather Lee - $243,593
Captain with the Kenora Fire Service – Brian Birch - $125,919
ORNGE’s Base Manager Anthony Sharp - $127,868
Kenora District Services Board CAO - Henry Wall - $187,242
District of Kenora Home for the Aged CEO - Kevin Queen - $153,302
Executive Director of the Kenora Chiefs Advisory – Joe Barnes - $313,165
Medical Officer of Health with the NWHU - Dr. Kit Young Hoon - $325,612
Executive Director of CMHA Kenora - Sara Dias - $157,977
Executive Director of the Sioux Lookout Friendship Accord – Jacob Dockstater - $175,000
Executive Director of the Kenora Rainy River Child, Family Services – Bill Leonard - $170,948
As well, Ontario Premier Doug Ford is reported to have pulled in $208,974 in 2021.
