THUNDER BAY – The City of Thunder Bay tops all local contributors to the annual public-sector salary disclosure list, with 452 employees earning more than $100,000 in 2019.
That’s 81 more than the 371 at Lakehead University and 209 more than the 243 crossing the threshold at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. It's also 28 more than the 424 the city had the previous year.
Outgoing hospital CEO Jean Bartkowiak topped all non-medical publicly paid earners in the city, taking home $369,447 last year, about $2,000 less than he earned in 2018. At St. Joseph’s Care Group, president and CEO Tracy Buckler earned $343,078, down more than $3,000 from the year before.
He was followed closely by Lakehead University president Moira MacPherson, who was paid $360,045 in 2018. Northwest Local Health Integration Network CEO Rhonda Crocker-Ellacott made $353,164.
Her Confederation College counterpart Kathleen Lynch, by comparison, earned $226,923, identical to what her predecessor, Jim Madder, earned the year prior.
City manager Norm Gale topped all municipal employees, with $256,390 in earnings last year, slightly more than the $249,251 taken in by Police Chief Sylvie Hauth.
Fire Chief John Hay, who has been off the job without public explanation since November, earned $172,909.
Turning to local school boards, Pino Tassone, who heads the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board, earned $207,578, while Lakehead Public Schools counterpart Ian MacRae was paid $204,282.
Province-wide, there were 166,978 people listed on the 2019 Sunshine List. Combined, they were paid over $21 billion, with an average salary of $127,387.
