Retroactive pay and overtime in 2021 pushed more Brant-Brantford paramedics over the $100,000 threshold and onto the provincial Sunshine list.
Figures made available through the Public Salary Disclosure Act show 46 paramedics among the 84 Brant County employees on the list, which includes all public workers who were paid $100,000 a year or more in 2021.
Brant CAO Michael Bradley said the contract between the county and OPSEU, Local 256, the union representing paramedics, expired at the end of March 2020.
“Negotiations for a new collective agreement were put on hold so paramedics could focus on serving the community through the initial waves of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “Negotiations for a new agreement commenced in 2021 and an agreement was reached last October.”
The new three-year agreement, which expires at the end of March 2023, included cost-of-living increases for 2020 and 2021. resulting in retroactive pay.
“The county’s compensation approach for its paramedic service, which serves the residents of both the City of Brantford and County of Brant, is designed to provide our paramedics with competitive pay when compared to other services in the province while still delivering value to residents who are well served by our talented, dedicated and resourceful paramedics,” said Bradley
In addition to responding to emergency calls, members of the Brant-Brantford Paramedic Services have helped with COVID-19 vaccinations in the community, as well as in long-term care homes and other congregate living settings. They also have been involved in COVID-19 testing initiatives.
The county employs about 130 full- and part-time paramedics. Their new contract includes a two-per-cent pay hike in each of its three years.
In 2021, Russell King, chief of paramedic services, earned $152,266 and received $1,131 in taxable benefits. He was followed by Michael Polgar, a paramedic superintendent, who earned $140,709 in 2021 and received $$826 in taxable benefits.
Meanwhile, Bradley was at the top of the 2021 Sunshine list for the county. He earned $198,017 and received $9,779 in taxable benefits.
Following are the rest of the top 10 earners on the county’s Sunshine list: Robert Walton, general manager of operations, earned $165,626 and received $891 in taxable benefits; Joyti Zuidema, solicitor and corporate counsel, $165,626 in salary and $908 in taxable benefits; Cindy Stevenson, general manager of community and protective services, $161,096 in salary and $1,032 in taxable benefits; Alison Newton, general manager of strategic initiatives, $152,088 in salary and $829 in taxable benefits; Pam Duesling, general manager of development services, $142,705 in salary and $782 in taxable benefits; James Rickert, director of business technology and technology services, $141,658 in salary and $686 in taxable benefits; and Kelly Bernstein, chief executive officer. Brant County Public Library, $140,425 in salary and $771 in taxable benefits.
In 2020, 77 Brant County employees were paid $100,000 or more, which was up from 54 in 2019.
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