Yes, some doctors are on the Ontario Sunshine List, but many are not and that’s where a lot of confusion comes from.
The Sunshine List only includes public-sector employees who are paid directly by a public employer and earn more than $100,000 in a calendar year. That means doctors who work as hospital employees, academic physicians at universities, or physicians in senior administrative roles often appear on the list. These are typically department heads, medical directors, or physicians who combine clinical work with leadership responsibilities.
However, most Ontario doctors are paid through OHIP on a fee-for-service basis, not as salaried employees. Even if those physicians earn well above $100,000 or even $500,000, they usually do not appear on the Sunshine List because their income is billed through the provincial health insurance system, not reported as salary by a public employer.
This is why the Sunshine List only shows a partial picture of physician compensation. It captures hospital-based and administrative doctors, but it does not represent the full earnings of Ontario’s medical workforce. When browsing the list, it’s important to understand that absence from the list does not mean a doctor earns less than $100,000.