Sunshine List: Overtime sees Sudbury medical officer of health pocket $800K in 2021

According to the public sector salary disclosure known as the Sunshine List, the medical officer of health for Public Health Sudbury & Districts earned more than $800,000 in 2021, a figure that includes more than $200,000 in overtime pay from 2020 and more than $260,000 in overtime for 2021.

See related: Health care field dominates top of North Bay Sunshine List for 2021

Ontario released the 2021 public sector salary disclosure, Friday. It tracks people paid from the public purse who make more than $100,000 in a given year.

Public Health Sudbury issued a news release to explain Dr. Penny Sutcliffe’s massive earnings.

“We have been searching to recruit an Associate Medical Officer of Health for some time now, and this position has been vacant for the duration of the pandemic. Our Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, has been our unfaltering leader throughout this emergency, herself having worked the equivalent of well over two positions for two years,” said Public Health Sudbury board chair René Lapierre. 

“Dr. Sutcliffe’s salary disclosure includes these facts but also includes additional hours from 2020 that were not paid out until 2021. Of Dr. Sutcliffe’s disclosure, $219,000 is related to overtime worked in 2020, but not paid until 2021 and a further $263,000 is related to overtime worked and paid in 2021.”

The release further states that Public Health employees worked 61,559 hours of overtime (the workload equivalent to almost 34 full-time positions) “under intensely stressful and constantly changing conditions.” 

“The COVID-19 pandemic response required our Public Health team to work at unprecedented levels,” Lapierre said. 

At Health Sciences North, there were more than 250 registered nurses included in the 2021 public sector salary disclosure.

Greater Sudbury’s hospital had 565 people on the list, compared to 713 people last year. 

President and CEO Dominic Giroux was the top earner, taking home $368,947, plus $12,812 in taxable benefits. 

The next top earner was Mark Henderson, director of cardiology at the hospital, who earned $299,999, followed by Mark Hartman, the senior vice-president of patient experience and digital transformation, who took home $280,986, plus $647 in taxable benefits.

At Health Sciences North Research Institute, Sr. Career Scientist Hoyun Lee earned $368,957. Science Director Dr. Janet McElhaney, who passed away in October 2021, took home $223,935.

And at St. Joseph’s Continuing Care, CEO Jo-Anne Palkovits took home $250,130, including $6,016 in taxable income.