City of Brantford Sunshine List tops 400 mark

The City of Brantford’s Sunshine List grew to just over 400 employees in 2023.

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Figures released by the province show the number of city employees making $100,000 or more grew to 403 last year, up from 360 in 2022. The figures were released under Ontario’s Public Sector Disclosure Act.

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“The city provides more than 200 programs and services to the community, many of which are considered essential services,” Maria Visocchi, the city’s director, communications, community engagement and customer service, said. “To attract and retain qualified candidates, the city sets wages to be commensurate with current market compensation for a give position.

“In the last several years, there have been compensation increases for certain municipal positions as a result of inflation, collective bargaining negotiations and city priorities that require higher levels of technical expertise to implement.”

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Visocchi said that as the city continues to grow, its operations and requirements for certain roles have become more complex, requiring a higher level of expertise, skills and qualifications.

In many cases, overtime and vacation earnings moved city employees onto the list, Visocchi said.

“I think it’s also important to note that the Public Sector Disclosure Act was established in 1996 – 28 years ago – and as such, inflation and the consumer price index has increased significantly during that time,” Visocchi said. “There are several factors that contribute to the salary level of an employee including their employment status (full or part-time) as well as the nature of the work the employee is performing and the qualifications required to perform the role.”

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The city had 960 full-time employees and 445 part-time employees as of the end of December 2023. The average salary for full-time city employees is about $80,200 a year.

According to the provincial figures, more than 250 or well over half of the city employees on the list are members of the Brantford Fire Department or Brantford Police Service. They include firefighters, police constables, fire captains, police sergeants, police dispatchers, second class constables, fire prevention officers and police plain clothes officers.

The Public Salary Disclosure Act was passed in 1996 and aims to be a check on payroll spending. It requires organizations that receive provincial funding to report the names, positions and pay of people making more than $100,000 a year.

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The city had one employee on the list when it was first released in 1996. The list grew to two employees in 1997.

By 2012, the city had 114 employees earning $100,000 or more annually and in 2018, the list had grown to include 303 people.

Following is a list of the top 10 city employees on the Sunshine List: Brian Hutchings, CAO, $255,838.94; Rob Davis, chief of police, $246,201.76; Heidi De Vries, general manager, people, legislative services and planning, $210,122.15; Jason Barber; police sergeant, $205,812.86; Jason Saunders, deputy chief of police, $204,578.61; Inderjit Hans, commissioner of public works: $201,070.10; Balbir Singh, police sergeant, $199,537.75; Michael Sciberras, police sergeant, $196,441.98; Joelle Daniels, commissioner of corporate services and city treasurer, $192,713.16; Mark Whitworth, police sergeant, $191,989.98.

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