City of Owen Sound Salaries: What the Sunshine List Really Shows
Owen Sound’s Sunshine List continues to grow, but inflation, arbitration-driven wages, and staffing costs tell a more complete story.
Ontario’s latest public sector salary disclosure list is out, and at the City of Owen Sound, it captures far more workers than it once did.
That’s because the $100,000 threshold — unchanged since 1996 — no longer reflects the same level of earnings. Based on inflation, it would sit closer to $182,000 today.
Applying the inflation-adjusted threshold reduces that to just three individuals, whose combined salary and benefits totalled just over $638,000 in 2025.
The remaining 90 employees in the $100,001 to $181,999 range accounted for a total of $11,318,924 in salary and benefits.
Emergency services accounted for 64% of those roles earning above $100,000. Administration/management roles at City Hall and other city services including the Library, Art Gallery, Parks, etc. accounted for 27%, and water/wastewater roles were 7%.
The concentration of higher earnings in emergency services comes amid significant wage increases driven by arbitration.
A recent ruling set firefighter compensation through 2026, including retroactive increases dating back to 2019, with total costs to the City still being assessed.
In total, the City’s 2026 salary and benefits costs are budgeted at approximately $43.8 million — about 82% of its $53.4 million operating budget — supporting roughly 321 employees, including 151 full-time equivalents and a mix of part-time and seasonal staff.
Related:
