Collingwood's latest Sunshine List about par with last year

In 2023, 63 Town of Collingwood employees made it onto the Ontario Sunshine List, an increase from the 61 that made the list in 2022.

The Sunshine List is the unofficial title given to the province's public salary disclosure, which requires the salary of any public servant making $100,000 or more per year to be declared and published annually. 

The Town of Collingwood released their disclosure list prior to the province publishing the full disclosure.

At the top of the list again this year was the chief administrative officer, Sonya Skinner, with a salary of $241,245.54 and taxable benefits of $9,454.65. That's a little lower than her 2022 salary of $244,992 plus taxable benefits of $9,617.

The next highest earner at town hall was Amanda Pegg, executive director of customer and corporate services, whose salary is listed at $190,647.87 with taxable benefits at $1,484.38. Following Pegg is Collingwood Fire Chief Dan Thurman, whose salary is listed at $162,147.40 with taxable benefits at $5,357.73. 

The town clerk, Sara Almas made $160, 174.25 last year with $796.55 in taxable benefits. 

Rounding out the top-five earners with the town in 2023 was Dean Collver, director of parks, recreation and culture, whose salary was the same as the clerk's at $160,147.25 with $795.55 in taxable benefits. 

Following Collver was the town's director of finance, Monica Quinlan, who made $159,889.89 in salary and $1,337.29 in taxable benefits. 

Including the chief, there were 26 Collingwood Fire Department employees on the Sunshine list this year – same as last year – with salaries ranging from $147,700 for Deputy Chief Stephen Emo, down to $114,636 for a firefighter first class. 

Other town staff on the disclosure list were directors and managers for town departments, which include:

• Summer Valentine, director of planning, building and economic development: $152.367 plus $1,300 in taxable benefits. 
• Director of Public Works, Engineering and Environmental Services Peggy Slama: $145,396 plus $1,277
• Manager of Public Works, Daniel Cole: $141,006 plus $678.

Collingwood Public Library CEO Ashley Kulchycki earned $112,656 plus $1,101 in benefits.

Since the Sunshine List was established in 1996, the threshold for disclosure (salaries of $100,000) has not changed. According to the government of Ontario website used for Sunshine List disclosure, the Canadian Consumer Price Index has increased by 54 per cent between 1996 and 2020.

If the original threshold established in 1996 followed inflation, the 2018 Ontario list would be reduced by 87 per cent (from 205,470 people in 2020 to 26,245 people). There were 4,494 people on the Sunshine List when it came out in 1996.

For the full Sunshine List of Town of Collingwood employees, click here.

The town released its public salary disclosure list prior to the main list being published by the province, so there will be more data from outside of Collingwood's salary list coming soon.