More employees of the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) made the so-called “sunshine list” of public sector employees being paid over $100,000 last year.
The list released Thursday shows that 268 employees at the OSC earned at least six figures last year, up from 258 employees in 2011. In aggregate, they collected almost $46 million in salary in 2012, up from $43.4 million in 2011. The average salary on the list is now up to $171,546 from $168,267.
Howard Wetston, OSC chairman, remains the commission’s highest paid employee, earning over $700,000.
Vice chairman Larry Ritchie, who is seconded to the Canadian Securities Transition Office, is the only other employee earning more than $500,000, up slightly to $537,469.
The commission’s other vice chairs, Jim Turner and Mary Condon, earned just under $500,000 ($481,103 and $463,837, respectively).
Over at the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO), the number of employees on the list also rose. There are 73 FSCO employees on the 2012 list, up from 67 in 2011. They were paid a total of $9.2 million, up from $8.6 million.
According to the Ontario government, the average salary on the list declined for the fourth straight year. For 2012, the average salary over $100,000 across all sectors decreased to $127,525 from $127,566 in 2011.
Overall, the total number of employees disclosed under the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act increased by 11% or 8,823 employees from 79,589 in 2011 to 88,412 in 2012, which is consistent with the increase experienced in 2011, the Ontario government notes.