Whitehorse Daily Star

Clouds obscure concept of Yukon ‘sunshine list’

Aside from declining to publish the size of its workforce in its annual budgets, the Yukon also doesn’t publish an annual “sunshine list”.

By Whitehorse Star on August 11, 2017

Aside from declining to publish the size of its workforce in its annual budgets, the Yukon also doesn’t publish an annual “sunshine list”.

That would reveal the names, job titles and salaries of employees earning $100,000 annually or more.

Alberta and Ontario both have public sunshine lists.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act does not protect the names and salaries of public employees earning six figures.

The Telegram newspaper posted that province’s 2016 “sunshine list” to its website.

The Yukon’s Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act prevents the publication of names along with titles and salaries, said Nigel Allan, a spokesperson for the Public Service Commission.

The commission could confirm however, that last fiscal year, a total of 949 Yukon government employees earned $100,000 or more, which is down from 1,010 in 2015-16.

The commission is also permitted to disclose pay ranges.

In July, there were 16 government employees – all deputy ministers – earning between $172,851 and $231,238, the government’s top salary bracket.

Comments (14)

Up 2 Down 1

north_of_60 on Aug 17, 2017 at 10:11 pm

The Yukon does not have a sunshine list because the YTG bureaucrats don't want the public to see how obscenely overpaid they are.

Up 5 Down 0

Perspective on Aug 17, 2017 at 1:57 pm

@ bb, yes, I'm more than familiar with paying taxes, now how about you try working on your reading comprehension skills? I was replying to 'Alternative Perspective' who said even at a 45% tax rate you get $8,000 take home pay every month from a $100,000 salary, his tax rate, his words, not mine. No where did I ever say you pay a 45% tax rate, I just pointed out that based on what HE said his figures were completely wrong when you do the math.

Up 3 Down 7

bb on Aug 16, 2017 at 4:16 pm

To 'Perspective'. Just because the marginal rate is 45%, that doesn't mean you pay 45% of your entire income to the government. Have you never paid taxes? I guess not.

Here's how it works: Chop about $15,000 off for basic deductions (basic plus northern allowance). $85,000 is taxable. Chop off payments to CPP, RSP. Money in your piggy bank. Now down to about $70,000 or less, taxable. Chop off $45,000 or so, lowest tax rate - 25%, pay $11,250. $25,000 at the next tax rate, 35% ? (not sure, but about that). $8,000.

So the person earning $100,000 a year will pay about $19,250 in taxes. They will have about $15,000 or more, put into forced savings. They will admittedly have EI and union deductions taken away from them. Maybe $4000 or so.

This is the end of my public service announcement.

Up 6 Down 1

Groucho d'North on Aug 16, 2017 at 3:40 pm

Be glad you only get half the government you pay for.

Up 13 Down 5

single parent on Aug 15, 2017 at 3:50 pm

@ Alternative Perspective
You're deluded son. I make about $85K/year. My take home every 2 weeks: $1,900. I'm a single parent, 2 kids, a car payment, a mortgage and a non-extravagant lifestyle. The well is dry by the time payday rolls around again.

Up 22 Down 3

Miles Ocean on Aug 14, 2017 at 11:01 am

I used to make about $90,000+ per year almost 10 years ago and took home 5k per month after deductions and pension contributions. There was overtime and a few perks in addition to that total.

This is a healthy income if you manage your spending. Some of the tax information presented by posters here is not realistic.

Up 26 Down 3

Laura Schumann on Aug 13, 2017 at 1:33 pm

@Interesting - What kind of Bentley are you driving that you can save
$ 6,000.00 on insurance - or better how many cars, campers, motor bikes or
boats do you own? By the way those toys are quite thirsty when they needed
3 tanks of gasoline a week in the past. With respect - you truly work for the Government as the numbers you are throwing around here are in the land of dreams to minimum wage earning people.
By the way all those high paid jobs works only so great as long as the money from Ottawa comes in. Imagine when those payments are one day zero - where
Whitehorse would be? Just a thought to an artificial economy.

Up 30 Down 2

Groucho d'North on Aug 13, 2017 at 11:42 am

The argument in the past was that higher wages were needed for executive level managers to lure them away from the private sector and to remain competitive with the business community. Given that argument one would expect the managerial skills in YTG to be top shelf- yet we still get the results of poor management quite frequently. Perhaps these high wages should be based on a base income and bonuses for quality work structure?

Up 30 Down 10

Wundering on Aug 13, 2017 at 8:24 am

Back in the 1980's, part time cashiers at Supervalu, used to make $18/hr, and get 36hrs/week, now what do they make $10./hr??.
Maybe stop complaining so much about government wages, and start complaining about the private sector.

Up 17 Down 8

Perspective on Aug 12, 2017 at 3:18 pm

@ Alternative Perspective- You need to work on your math, one income of $100,000 at a 45% tax rate leaves $55,000 annually or $4583 per month and that's before things like sales, property taxes, and other user fees are taken out of it. There's not nearly so much left to cover all those bills you listed is there? Suddenly a nice home doesn't seem near so affordable anymore...
@ Interesting, I'm happy some of your bills dropped... $6,000 cheaper for insurance how many vehicles are you driving man, or is it just one BMW? I call BS on groceries not being much cheaper however, I walk into a big grocery store in Calgary and get much cheaper prices than up here. And please keep in mind not everyone up here lives in Whitehorse, a lot of Yukoners have to drive a long way to get to Whitehorse to have anything other than the most basic shopping.
@ BnR - It's death by a thousand cuts, and Carbon Taxes are going to be just one more of those. Silver hasn't called to offer me a six figure job, I wish he would though!
Peace everyone, I'm not saying I agree with $100,000 public service salaries I just think when you break them down like AP did it's probably not like someone is living a Trump lifestyle on it.

Up 35 Down 6

Interesting on Aug 11, 2017 at 9:25 pm

Perspective unfortunately doesn't take into account some things that are actually cheaper in Yukon or on-par with southern neighbours. Having come here from Alberta myself, I can tell you that my car insurance is almost $6,000 cheaper here. That's $500 a month. Groceries? Very similar in cost but sometimes you can't always get the freshest things. Daycare? I was paying $1,550 for full time care. Here I have it for $950 and I didn't have to sit on a wait list for 2 years. Gas? I was buying almost three tanks a week because of my commute to work. Here I'm down to less than a tank a week. Sometimes you can't see what you have because there are too many trees in the forest.....

Up 24 Down 23

Alternative Perspective on Aug 11, 2017 at 6:27 pm

$100,000 is a LOT of money. Let's do a budget: even at 45% tax that's 8,000 clear a month. If your mortgage is 4,000 a month that still leaves another 4,000. Your car payment with gas and insurance is 1,000, that leaves 3,000. Your food bill is 1,000, that leaves 2,000... These numbers are crazy inflated but I hope you get the point. Only someone who makes 100k a year would complain that it isn't enough. If you can't survive on that then you suck at budgeting. Minimum wage is joke. $15 an hour is a joke. Heck even $18 puts families in a tight situation. Food bank usage is at all time highs. Semi-decent non-trash affordable housing is non-existent... the list goes on. Yet nearly 1000 people seem to think they're entitled to 100k salaries?? Hmmmm. Long live nepotism and apathy! Thanks for nothing!

Up 15 Down 22

BnR on Aug 11, 2017 at 5:39 pm

That's right perspective, those $100k plus per year jobs at YG are just being given away. Anyone with even a kindergarten education can get them. I'm amazed Silver hasn't phoned you up yet?
And you're dead right, the new carbon tax will be the downfall of us all! That's it, game over. Mass exodus. Done deal. it'll be exactly like when Faro shut down.

Up 47 Down 12

Perspective on Aug 11, 2017 at 3:25 pm

Not to split hairs here, but earning $100,000 in southern jurisdictions like Alberta and Ontario where it is cheaper to live hardly compares to earning $100,000 in the expensive north. Anyone paying more than $1,000 per month just to put groceries on the table for their families up here will agree with me.
However I've never made close to $100,00 per year and I'd certainly be happy to take it if offered. Especially with the Liberals new carbon tax about to kick in and make it even harder for people to afford to live.

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