6,000 Hydro One staff earn more than 100,000 dollars

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Almost 6,000 employees at Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation earn more than $100,000 a year, according to the Ontario government's latest figures.

Topping the list is Hydro One CEO and president Tom Parkinson with $1,069,442. OPG acting president and CEO Richard Dicerni, meanwhile, made $885,217.

The figures are contained in the government's list of public servants making more than $100,000 a year.

The list was released before a recent hike in electricity rates that will see the bills of consumers jump by $6 to $10 a month.

"This is a cruel April fool's joke on people across Ontario," NDP Leader Howard Hampton said after the salary disclosure release of public servants making six figures.

"There are a lot of people who will have to do without a meal to pay the hydro bill or they will have to think about not having clothes for their kids... while you've hydro executives here who are frankly robbing the bank," Hampton said.

But Finance Minister Greg Sorbara emphasized that the salaries were under control after years of increases under the previous Conservative government.

"The trends are significantly down both in OPG and... Hydro (One) and that's good. These are companies with long histories and high pay scales," said Sorbara.

"It's important that in the renewal of the public service the fact is that we're four per cent down in the number of very high earners in Ontario. That's good," he said.

Similarly, the salaries paid hospital executives raised eyebrows given their complaints about lack of funding for their facilities and the fact many must run deficits as a result.

Leading the pack was Tom Closson, former president and CEO of Toronto's University Health Network, with $612,500.

Health Minister George Smitherman said hefty salaries for hospital CEOs are tough to swallow when belt-tightening is the order of the day in health care.

"I have been very, very clear in sending a message that this needs to be an era of restraint in health care," Smitherman told reporters, noting MPPs have had their salaries frozen.

"This is a more appropriate message that other leaders in public-sector entities need to be following," he said.

Other prominent big earners included Don Guy, chief of staff to Premier Dalton McGuinty, who earned $178,764 — less than the whopping severance paid to former premier Ernie Eves' ex-chief Steve Pengelly, who made $179,383.

Departing chair of the Ontario Securities Commission, David Brown, made $641,938; Dale Richmond, CEO of OMERS, earned $433,656; former CFTO TV Queen's Park reporter Leon Korbee, vice-president of Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, was paid $164,703.

Lorna Marsden, president and vice-chancellor of York University, made $326,540 while departed University of Toronto president Robert Birgeneau made $304,077.

At TVOntario, the $100,000 club included Studio 2 co-hosts Steve Paikin, who made $181,977, and Paula Todd, who earned $179,764.