PCs call for Hydro One salary disclosure on sunshine list

CTV Toronto: Big salaries at Hydro One Controversy arises over large salaries at Hydro One being made public or not. Paul Bliss reports.

TORONTO -- The Progressive Conservatives are calling on the Liberal government to publish Hydro One salaries when the so-called sunshine list comes out.

Salaries at Hydro One were exempted from the annual public sector salary disclosure last year once the government sold the first 15-per-cent tranche of the formerly public utility.

The former Hydro One CEO was paid $745,000 in 2014, and about 3,800 workers were paid over $100,000 that year, but they're no longer included in the public disclosure.

The Tories have previously called for Hydro One salaries to stay public at least while the government still owns at least 50 per cent -- it still owns about 60 per cent.

Progressive Conservative energy critic Todd Smith says he intends to introduce a private member's bill to amend the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act.

The current Hydro One CEO earns up to $4 million, according to documents filed ahead of its initial public offering.

The issue of executive compensation is top of mind right now as broader public sector agencies propose new packages for top brass as a wage freeze lifts -- and salaries floated by organizations such as colleges, transit agency Metrolinx and Ontario Power Generation have drawn criticism.

Premier Kathleen Wynne told OPG it must come up with a more reasonable salary range than the $3.8-million cap it arrived at for the CEO. That would be a raise of about 153 per cent from the current $1.5 million the CEO earns, though OPG has said the actual salary would be significantly less than the cap.

Wynne's comments last week came after her government faced days of criticism for raises totalling up to $8 million for about 80 executives at OPG and a potential raise of up to $118,000 for the head of Metrolinx.