City of Greater Sudbury CAO Ed Archer again topped the Sunshine List among municipal employees with a 2021 salary of $279,805 and taxable benefits of $10,850.
This is a slight decrease from the $287,700 he earned in 2020 alongside taxable benefits of $10,796.
The Sunshine List is a rundown of public-sector employees in Ontario who were paid at least $100,000 during the previous year.
The City of Greater Sudbury’s other top earners to earn more than $200,000, in order from greatest to least, were:
- Chief of police Paul Pedersen at $254,862
- City manager of Growth and Infrastructure Anthony Cecutti at $230,412
- City manager of Corporate Services Kevin Fowke at $230,412
- City manager of Community Development Steve Jacques at $217,214
- Chief administrative officer of the Greater Sudbury Police Services Board Sharon Baiden at $216,590
- Deputy chief Sheilah Weber at $216,570
- Platoon chief Mark Gobbo at $215,752
- Platoon chief Gordon Stauffer at $208,897
- Captain Colin Braney at $204,597
- Captain Michael Slywchuk at $200,285
There were a total of 540 City of Greater Sudbury employees listed in the 2021 Sunshine List, which is fewer than the 593 listed in 2020.
Emergency responders dominated the Sunshine List in volume, with 23 advanced care paramedics, 25 fire department captains, 41 detective constables, 59 firefighter first class, 118 first class constables and 38 sergeants included.
Mayor Brian Bigger’s total salary and taxable benefits decreased to $186,889 from last year’s $191,972.
This includes a 2021 salary of $176,917, which is less than the $181,504 awarded in 2022. His taxable benefits remained roughly the same at around $10,500.
Last year’s reporting of Bigger’s salary and total benefits prompted public backlash due to the fact last year’s $228,873 total (including non-taxable benefits) was a 60 per cent increase from the $143,347 reported in 2016.
In this same timeframe, the total salaries and benefits Greater Sudbury’s 12 city councillors received increased from $739,490 to $908,778, which is a 22.89 per cent increase. City councillors earn around $50,000 so don’t make the Sunshine List.
Bigger took umbrage with the reporting of the day, clarifying that the increase didn’t affect his take-home pay too greatly, since a portion of city councillors’ take-home pay previously considered tax-exempt became taxable in 2019. That year’s increase was largely to make up the difference so that the mayor and city councillors’ take-home pay was unaffected by the tax change.
The compensation levels of the city’s elected officials will be reviewed in 2023.
