Christian Gammon-Roy
Tribune
Warm and sunny weather is here, coincidentally right along with the “Sunshine list,” published on March 28th and featuring quite a few entries among West Nipissing’s public servants. Every Spring, the Ontario Ministry of Finance’s Public Sector Salary Disclosure publishes the remuneration of all provincial public sector employees who have earned over $100,000 during the previous year, in the name of accountability and transparency to taxpayers.
Certain employers have seen a significant increase in the number of staff added to the list, but it is important to note that many of these new names are employees making just over the $100,000 threshold. It is also notable that the $100,000 threshold has not increased in over 20 years, though many people have been calling for it to rise with inflation as the list has ballooned over the years. Indeed, many salaries rose in 2023 in response to 2022’s high inflation rate, which peaked at 8.1% in June of that year, and also as a result of previously frozen public sector wages suddenly rising retroactively after labour action and court intervention.
Municipality of West Nipissing
The municipality only saw one new name added to the list: Lloyd Burton, Public Works supervisor at $101,242.
The most noteworthy municipal employee on the list is Chief Administrative Officer Jay Barbeau, who earned $218,989 with $6,469 in benefits in 2023, compared to 2022’s $199,500 and $6,510 in benefits. While this increase of nearly $20,000 seems high, Barbeau saw an even larger increase in 2022, roughly $24,000 more than the $175,098 he was paid in 2021.
When asked about the $43,890 increase over two years, West Nipissing Mayor Kathleen Thorne Rochon clarified. “It is important to note that the Sunshine list reporting is based on earnings and not just salary. That is an important distinction. Earnings can include paid out sick time, vacation, employment benefit entitlements or other legally mandated payments. In the case of Mr. Barbeau, in 2023 council had obligations to fulfill in relation to a specific Human Resources file that was negotiated by the previous council. As such, the reported earnings for 2023 do not reflect his actual salary,” she explained. She added that the bulk of the 2022 increase would also be in relation to this file, though the 2022 earnings would have been approved and paid out under the previous council.
That said, CAOs across Ontario seem to be making comparably high salaries. Elliot Lake paid CAO Daniel Gagnon $245,902 in 2023. The smaller municipality of French River paid CAO Marc Gagnon $147,845. In North Bay, CAO John Severino reported $212,001 in earnings.
Director of Corporate Services/Treasurer Alisa Craddock earned $165,523, up from $154,254 in 2022. Stephan Poulin, Director of Economic Development and Community Services earned $165,071 and $6,352 in benefits, up from 2022’s $158,128 and $6,419 in benefits. Manager of Public Works, Distribution, and Collection Shawn Remillard took home $132,858, up from $130,209. IT Manager Kevin Yarosh earned $126,786, up from $124,281. Peter Ming, Manager of Water and Wastewater Operations earned $126,526 plus $6,300 in benefits, up from $118,018 plus $6,419. Alain Bazinet, Chief Building Official made $122,543 and $11,109 in benefits, an increase from $118,699 plus $10,311. Municipal Planner/Clerk Melanie Ducharme earned $120,248, down slightly from $122,016. Engineer Elizabeth Henning saw a marked increase from 2022, earning $119,029, up from $103,542. Finally, Deputy Treasurer Brigitte Carriere earned $101,312, slightly higher than $101,049 in 2022.
Fire Services
West Nipissing’s fire service still has the same number of staff on the 2023 Sunshine list, but the change of Fire Chiefs from 2022 to 2023 shows an approximately $80,000 gap in pay. In 2023, Fire Chief Frank Loeffen earned $146,537, compared to Richard Maranda earning $225,788 as Chief in 2022. However, as Mayor Thorne Rochon explains, “Chief Maranda, on retirement, was eligible for accrued benefit payments, which make his final year salary appear inflated.” Meanwhile, Assistant Fire Chief Michel Desormiers earned $137,860, less than the $140,372 from the year before. Fire Prevention, Training, and Public Education Officer Gilles Imbeau gained nearly $10,000, earning $140,530 compared to $130,932 in 2022. Three First Class Firefighters also made the list. Kevin Claro earned $121,984, up from $119,167; Pascal Morin earned $117,028, down from $122,423; and Hubert Guindon earned $114,312, up from $112,798. Finally, Second Class Firefighter Daniel Renaud made $110,333, up from $109,759.
West Nipissing General Hospital
The WN General Hospital saw a significant rise in “Sunshiners” between 2022 and 2023, going from 19 to 36. Many are nurses, but technicians, pharmacy staff and others also saw their earnings increase in 2023. According to Sue Lebeau, WNGH President and CEO, Bill 124 had a lot to do with those increases across the board. The provincial Bill, which capped public sector workers’ pay, was repealed after a court decision finding it unconstitutional, and subsequently back-pay had to be issued. “It’s a very unusual year, and that’s why you see such jumps, it’s making up for 3 years lost time,” explains Lebeau, adding that while nurses were issued back-pay, other unions representing hospital staff followed suit and negotiated higher wages for their members as well.
Among the 16 registered nurses on the list, Helene Shank sits firmly at the top with $282,695 earned, compared to $241,291 from 2022. Margarette Shields-Smith also earned a notable salary of $196,092, down a bit from her 2022 earnings of $203,696. The other nurses earned between $101,000 and $162,865. Lebeau confirms that the WNGH has had a trend of long-time nurses taking on a lot of overtime, which accounts for the spikes. The CEO adds that she is thankful for such hard workers, but also assures that they are hiring more to help curb burnout.
The highest earning technician was Cory Paquette, who earned $109,063 as Senior Ultrasound Technician. Pharmacist Canaan Guta earned $108,669; Phlebotomist Mona Nadeau made $105,549; and Plant Maintenance and Environmental Services Manager Danny Putman earned $108,452. The latter four were not present on the list in 2022.
Lebeau mentions that executive staff wages, such as her own, remained frozen in 2023, which accounts for some less drastic changes there. Her own salary as President and CEO was of $186,040, lower than the previous CEO, Cynthia Desormiers’ $195,434 from 2022. Mental Health and Addictions Manager Lynn Perreault earned $119,895, up from $102,773. Human Resources Manager Mireille Mageau earned $122,144, up from $105,580. Vice President of Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer Daniel St Georges earned 101,050, down from 108,213.
Au Chateau
Au Chateau saw two names drop from the list since 2022, bringing them to 10 total in 2023. Administrator Jacques Dupuis earned $141,508 plus $7,002 in benefits, down from 2022 when he earned $144,833 plus $6,603. Director of Care Cindy Brouillette made $138,587, up from $136,335. Chief Financial Officer Corinne Restoule made $117,395, more than the $109,813 from the previous year. Head Nurses Helene Larabie and Louise Trudel earned $180,050 and $159,272 respectively. Registered Nurse Carmen Jutras made $135,498, and Nurse Practitioner Jenna Bluteau, $126,396. Finally, three Personal Support Workers made the list: Miranda Turcotte earned $133,207; Tammy Savage, $108,029; and Claire Fassette, $106,409.
