Employees of pension manager OMERS are still the best-paid crown agency employees in Ontario, according to figures released by the Ontario Ministry of Finance.

The province is required by law to report the salaries of all public sector employees earning more than $100,000 in annual salary.

Among crown agencies on the salary list, Michael Nobrega, president and CEO of OMERS, was far and away the highest paid employee during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008. Nobrega was paid $1.9 million in fiscal 2008, although this was down from the $2.24 million paid to the previous CEO, Paul Haggis, in fiscal 2007.

Nobrega was far ahead of the second highest-paid employee on the list, Patrick Crowley, OMERS CFO, at $839,000. Four others at the pension manager were paid over $700,000.

David Wilson, chairman of the Ontario Securities Commission, was the only other crown agency employee on the list paid over $700,000, putting him seventh overall. Wilson also made over $700,000 last year, but that figure included an added five months of bonus because of the timing of his appointment.

Elsewhere on the OSC’s list, the two vice chairs clock in second place at around $478,000 in annual salary; followed by the new executive director, Peggy Dowdall-Logie at just over $400,000; while former executive director, Charlie Macfarlane, was paid $329,733.

In total, the OSC reported 223 people that earn over $100,000, up from 189 last year, for a combined salary expense of $38.2 million.

The Financial Services Commission of Ontario, the province’s other financial industry regulator, had just 57 people on the list, earning a combined $7.2 million. The top earner at FSCO was chief actuary, Dennis Chan, at $264,238.

OMERS put 150 people on the list, yet their combined $31.3 million wasn’t far behind the OSC’s total, despite there being 100 fewer employees on its disclosure list.

IE