When you look at the actual Sunshine List data on PublicPayPulse, a clear pattern shows up at the very top and it’s not hospitals.
Year after year, the highest paid individual on Ontario’s Sunshine List is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Ontario Power Generation (OPG). Based on the most recent data, Kenneth Hartwick, OPG’s President and CEO, reported total compensation of $2,018,436, making him the highest paid person on the list by a wide margin.
In fact, Ontario Power Generation doesn’t just hold the top spot. It dominates the upper tier of the Sunshine List. Several other OPG executives appear among the highest earners, including the Chief Operations Officer, Chief Nuclear Officer, Chief Projects Officer, and Chief Financial Officer. This concentration reflects the scale and complexity of running Ontario’s electricity generation system, particularly nuclear operations, which come with enormous operational, regulatory, and safety responsibilities.
Hospitals and transit agencies still feature prominently, with CEOs from University Health Network, SickKids, Ontario Health, and Metrolinx appearing in the top ten. But the data is clear: energy leadership, not health care, consistently claims the highest compensation on the Sunshine List.
If you want to understand who really sits at the top, the Sunshine List data points squarely to Ontario Power Generation.
Check out the Sunshine List Hall of Fame.