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Over 1,100 in Guelph make "Sunshine List"

U of G pays combined $820,000 for current and retired president

The University of Guelph paid two presidential-level salaries in 2015, amounting to just over $822,043.32 combined. The institution’s current president, Franco Vaccarino, and it’s recently retired one, Alastair Summerlee, each received sizable compensation.

The Ontario government released the annual Public Sector Salary Disclosure list earlier this week, listing all provincial government salaries over $100,000. Guelph public sector employees on the list numbered well over 1,000, with 830 of those at U of G, 185 at the City of Guelph, and 174 at the Upper Grand District School Board. There were 36 on the list at Wellington Catholic District School Board.

While disclosing earnings may be considered a private matter in most circles, its automatic for those paid $100,000 or more from provincial coffers. The Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act became law in 1996, its intent to make Ontario's public sector more open and accountable to taxpayers.

All organizations receiving public funding from the province are required to make public the names, positions, salaries and total taxable benefits of employees paid $100,000 or more in the previous calendar year.

University of Guelph’s 830 people on the list in 2015 included both professors and administrators. A few professors earned over $200,000, including Amar Mohanty ($214,056) in plant agriculture, who is the premier’s chair in biomaterials and transportation, and Joseph Lam ($212, 952, a professor and Canada Research Chair in molecular and cellular biology.

James France, professor and Canada Research Chair in biomathematics in animal nutrition earned $208, 072, and John Dutcher, professor and Canada Research Chair in soft matter and biological physics, earned $201, 628.

Rebeca Graham, U of G’s chief librarian, had a salary of $202,349 in 2015. Several of the university’s top administrators earned well over $200,000, including Donald O’Leary ($264, 144), the vice-president of finance, administration and risk, and Serge Desmarais ($233,311), the associate vice-president, academic. Martha Harley, associate vice-president, human resources, earned $217,305.

Franco Vaccarino became U of G’s president in 2014, following the retirement of Alastair Summerlee, who lead the university from 2003 through to 2014. However, Summerlee continue earn $339,081, with taxable benefits of $1,140 in 2015. He earned $456,000, plus taxable benefits of $15,000 in 2014.

Last year, Vaccarino earned $453,648, as well as $58,173 in taxable benefits.

Guelph’s chief administrative officer, Ann Pappert, earned $257,248 with $6,508 in taxable benefits in 2015, while Donna Jaques, the city’s general manager/city solicitor earned $165,496, plus $1,667 in taxable benefits.

Daniel Moore, the executive director of Family and Children’s Services of Guelph and Wellington County, earned $176, 910, and $4,897 in taxable benefits. Several city managers earned between $140,000 and $165,000.

Martha Rogers, the director of education of Upper Grand District School Board made $226,228 last year, while her counterpart at the Catholic board, Tamara Nugent, earned $196,797. Nugent took over the position from retiring Don Drone in summer-2014.

Upper Grand supervisor of education Douglas Morrell earned $173,410, while Wellington Catholic’s Tracy McLennan, superintendent of corporate services and treasurer earned $164,532.

There were 23 employees of the Grand River Conservation Authority on the list, and 43 with Guelph General Hospital, include two earning over $300,000. Guelph General Hospital pathologist Truong Nguyen earned $305, 606 in 2015, while Marianne Walker, the hospital’s president and chief executive officer earned $304,336.

Nicola Mercer, medical officer of health and CEO of Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health earned $318,205 in 2015.

The salary disclosure, commonly known as the sunshine list, applies to organizations such as the Government of Ontario, Crown agencies, municipalities, hospitals, boards of public health, school boards, universities, colleges, Ontario Power Generation, and other public sector employers who receive a significant level of funding from the provincial government.

A searchable database is available at https://www.ontario.ca/page/public-sector-salary-disclosure#section-0.


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Rob O'Flanagan

About the Author: Rob O'Flanagan

Rob O’Flanagan has been a newspaper reporter, photojournalist and columnist for over twenty years. He has won numerous Ontario Newspaper Awards and a National Newspaper Award.
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