Statement by NDP Energy Critic Peter Tabuns on 2016 Sunshine List

It’s extremely disappointing that the Liberal government, which claims to be ‘open and transparent,’ tried to bury the Sunshine List by releasing the day before a statutory holiday, and on what they knew would be a busy news day.

In 2003, the Liberals ran on a plan to bring more disclosure and public oversight to Hydro One – yet now, with the Liberal selloff of Hydro One, that accountability is gone, even though  it’s still you, me and every other Ontarian who are paying those salaries.

The Liberals promised to cap public sector CEO pay, but a decade later we still see millionaires on the public payroll.

In addition to removing oversight of Hydro One salaries, the government cut off oversight by Ontario’s Auditor-General, Financial Accountability Officer, Ombudsman, Information and Privacy Commissioner, Integrity Commissioner, and French Language Services Commissioner.

While Ontarians are paying some of the highest hydro bills in Canada, the CEO of OPG took home $1.6 million. While nurses are being fired and hospital beds are being closed, and 7 of the top 20 highest paid executives on the Sunshine List were taken up by hospital CEOs. And even as the Premier is shutting demonstrations schools for some of the highest-needs students in Ontario, a former TDSB Director took home more than $600,000.

Yet again, we see that the Premier just doesn’t understand people’s priorities.