Over 400 City of Kingston-paid employees named to annual ‘Sunshine List’

A dozen people employed through the City of Kingston brought home over $170,000 in salary for the 2020 year, according to the provincial government.

On Friday, Mar. 19, 2021, the Government of Ontario published its annual public sector salary disclosure – the so-called Sunshine List of those public sector employees who were paid $100,000 or more – for the 2020 year.

Looking at those employees listed under the City of Kingston, 404 individuals were named in the published data. Those employees include City of Kingston Staff, Kingston Fire and Rescue Staff, and those employed through the Kingston Police Services Board. Of that 404, 127 are employed through Kingston Fire and Rescue, 177 are employed through Kingston Police Force, and 100 are City Staff.

Factoring in the inflation since the inception of the “Sunshine List,” Kingstonist is only publishing the list of those who earned over $170,000. Of note, four of the six City of Kingston employees are female. Only one person with Kingston Fire and Rescue made over $170,000 – the Fire Chief – and two of the five people earning over $170,000 with Kingston Police are female. That means literally half of those earning over $170,000 through the City of Kingston are female.

City of Kingston staff

Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Lanie Hurdle took home the most of City staff for 2020, earning $244,792.84.

Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Treasurer Desiree Kennedy made $187,946.29.

Sheila Kidd, Commissioner of Transportation and Public Works made $184,117.36; Peter Huigenbos, Commissioner of Business, Environment and Projects, made $182,842.11; Paige Agnew, Commissioner of Community Services, made $178,770.13, and; Mark Van Buren, Deputy Commissioner of Major Projects, made $174,840.75

Kingston Fire and Rescue

Only one person with the local fire department brought home over $170,000. Fire Chief Kenneth (Shawn) Armstrong made $174,484.10 in 2020.

Kingston Police Services Board

Five people with Kingston Police garnered over $170,000 for 2020, all of them making over $190,000.

Kingston Police Chief Antje McNeely earned the highest salary at $256,513.79, followed by Deputy Chief Christopher Scott, who brought home $192,115.26.

The remaining five on that list are all Inspectors with Kingston Police, all making the same salary. Inspectors Brian Begbie, Daniel Mastin, and Carolyn Rice each made $191,965.99 in 2020.

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Kingstonist will continue to examine Ontario’s public sector salary disclosure for 2020, with more articles to come on various sectors in our community.