A sunshine list is a listing of salary, benefit and severance information."Alberta Premier Alison Redford Leaves Mixed Legacy Behind
/ref> Its colloquial name refers to the goal of illuminating government expenditures. In Canada, the list is commonly used for example by provincial or municipal governments to identify any publicly employed person making $100,000 salary or higher.CBC News "Sunshine List 2014: Ontario's Top Public Earners List Released"
/ref> The purpose of the list is to provide accountability and transparency. For example, the province of Ontario requires "organizations that receive public funding from the Province of Ontario to disclose annually the names, positions, salaries and total taxable benefits of employees paid $100,000 or more in a calendar year."

History

Alberta

Alberta first started publishing a sunshine list in 2014 following the 2012 election of

Alison Redford Alison Merrilla Redford (born March 7, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician. She was the 14th premier of Alberta, having served in this capacity from October 7, 2011, to March 23, 2014. Redford was born in Kitimat, British Columbia ...

. The introduction of the list followed public debate about the severance awarded to Redford's former chief of staff. In Alberta, the policy applies to deputy ministers, senior officials, political staff appointed under the Executive Assistant Order and employees defined under the Public Service Act who work for the offices of ministers and associate ministers, and who make an annual base salary of at least $100,000. The government began disclosing base salaries, benefit and severance amounts, and details of contract and termination agreements beginning on 31 January 2014. Information was to be posted online twice annually no later than 30 June and 31 December and included all staff employed as of 23 April 2012.

Nova Scotia

The government of Halifax has released a sunshine list annually since 2016.

Ontario

Ontario introduced the sunshine list in 1996 under the

Mike Harris Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a Canadian retired politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. During his time ...

government.

Uses

While intended as an accountability tool, the lists have been used for other purposes. ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...

'' magazine, for example, has used the list to examine employment equity in academia."Knocking on the Glass Ceiling"
/ref>

Flaw

In 2011, Chris Mazza, President and CEO of

Ornge Ornge (formerly Ontario Air Ambulance Corporation and Ontario Air Ambulance Service) is a Canadian not-for-profit corporation and registered charity that provides air ambulance and associated ground transportation services for the province of ...

, managed to stay off the sunshine list while making $1.4 million per year in a controversial scandal.

References

{{reflist

External links

Search the Ontario sunshine list
1996 establishments in Ontario 2014 establishments in Alberta Accountability Fiscal policy Publications established in 1996 Publications established in 2014 Recurring events established in 1996 Recurring events established in 2014