TORONTO – When Ontario released its annual Sunshine List last month, which discloses public servants earning over $100,000, several key names were conspicuously absent. This omission stems from the fact that many provincial supervisors are working as independent contractors rather than as direct public servants, exempting them from the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act requirements.
Missing Supervisors Raise Transparency Concerns
Of the 11 provincial supervisors appointed by the Progressive Conservative government to oversee local school boards and hospitals, only two appeared on the 2025 Sunshine List. Frank Benedetto, supervisor of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, earned $109,000, while Rick Byers, overseeing the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, was paid $125,000. However, the compensation for the other nine supervisors remains undisclosed, sparking criticism from opposition parties and transparency advocates.
NDP Critic Calls Situation "Shocking"
NDP education critic Chandra Pasma expressed outrage over the lack of transparency, particularly given the substantial pay rates for these positions. School board supervisors are eligible to earn up to $2,000 per day, with a maximum annual cap of $350,000. "The amount of money the minister is paying them to take over the boards is shocking in and of itself, but the fact that the people of the province do not get to know how much supervisors are ultimately being paid is completely unacceptable," Pasma stated.
Contractor Status Explains Omissions
Multiple government sources confirmed that while some supervisors work directly for the government, others operate as independent contractors. According to these sources, the decision to adopt contractor status is made by the supervisors themselves, not imposed by the government. This arrangement allows them to bypass the Sunshine List disclosure rules, which only apply to public servants.
Notable Absences from the List
The missing supervisors include several high-profile appointments made by the Ford government. Among them are:
- Rohit Gupta, Toronto District School Board supervisor, appointed in June 2025
- Robert Plamondon, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board supervisor, appointed in June 2025
- Paul Boniferro, Thames Valley District School Board supervisor, appointed in April 2025
- David Musyj, London Health Sciences Centre supervisor, appointed in September 2024
- Carmine Stumpo, Stevenson Memorial Hospital supervisor, appointed in June 2025
- Altaf Stationwala, Renfrew Victoria Hospital supervisor, appointed in 2024
Additionally, some supervisors appointed in 2026, such as Jay MacJanet at the Near North District School Board, Carrie Kormos at the York Catholic District School Board, and Heather Watt at the Peel District School Board, are not captured in the 2025 data. However, this timing issue does not account for the numerous other omissions.
Legal Framework and Implications
Ontario's Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act mandates that public servants earning more than $100,000 annually must have their names and earnings published. The use of contractor status creates a loophole that undermines the transparency intended by this legislation. As debates over government accountability intensify, this situation highlights potential gaps in public sector oversight and the need for clearer disclosure requirements for all individuals performing public functions, regardless of their employment classification.
