Ottawa's Sunshine List includes 400 bus operators

OTTAWA -- More than 400 OC Transpo bus operators drove their way onto Ontario’s Sunshine List in 2019.

Ontario’s Ministry of Finance posted the province’s Public Sector Salary Disclosure on Friday afternoon, listing all public sector employees who earned more than $100,000.

The list includes 4,644 City of Ottawa employees, which includes the City, OC Transpo, Ottawa Public Library, Ottawa Police, Ottawa Fire and Ottawa Paramedics. The City of Ottawa says 52 per cent of the employees earning more than $100,000 a year are first responders, including 1,376 Ottawa Police Service employees. 

The City of Ottawa says 38 per cent of the employees on the Sunshine List have a base salary less than $100,000, but are on the list because of one or more of the following reasons:

• Retroactive payments
• Overtime, stand-by, shift differential, on-call
• Vacation cash-outs
• Banked overtime cashouts

There are 415 OC Transpo “bus operators” on the Sunshine List in 2019.  The highest paid bus driver earned $179,276 last year.

City Manager Steve Kanellakos was the highest paid employee at Ottawa City Hall, earning $361,430 in 2019.

OC Transpo General Manager John Manconi earned $295,484, while City Trasurer Marian Simulik earned $279,000.

Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches earned $259,000 in 2019.