The number of Ontario public sector workers earning a salary of $100,000 or more grew by a whopping 24 per cent in 2006, with former Hydro One CEO Tom Parkinson topping the annual list.
Parkinson, who quit in December after an auditor's report raised questions about expense claims he billed to the transmission utility, earned $1.69 million in 2006.
He was followed closely by Ontario Power Generation CEO Jim Hankinson, who pulled in $1.48 million, while David Goulding, CEO of the Independent Electricity System Operator, was third with a salary of $1.2 million.
The majority of top earners on the government's so-called "sunshine list" worked for Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation.
Overall, nearly 34,000 Ontario civil servants and employees at Crown corporations, hospitals, municipalities, colleges and universities earned more than $100,000 last year.
The list grew by more than 6,500 workers, or 24 per cent, from the year prior.
Almost 140 employees at the scandal-plagued Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. were part of the $100,000 club in 2006, including many who made twice that amount, including Jim Warren, Premier Dalton McGuinty's former communications director.
Duncan Brown, who resigned as CEO right before the release of a scathing report from Ontario's ombudsman on lottery fraud practices, earned $364,825.
Ombudsman Andre Marin, meanwhile, received $192,565.
Premier Dalton McGuinty earned $158,000, but a recent hike will see his salary jump to nearly $200,000 this year.
Hospital executives were also among the highest provincial earners.
Jeffrey Lozon, president and CEO of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, topped the list of hospital administrators with a combined salary and benefit package of $700,000.
Robert Bell, president and CEO of University Health Networks, made $667,000.
Graham Sher, CEO of Canadian Blood Services, received $530,000 last year, while Paul Babyn, radiologist-in-chief at the Hospital for Sick Children, earned $501,000.
One nurse at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre was paid $139,000 in 2006, while a paramedic at James Bay General Hospital made $137,000.
David Wilson, chair of the Ontario Securities Commission, got $537,000, while two vice-chairs pulled in between $450,000 and $520,000.
Dozens elementary and high schools teachers also made the list, as did thousands of police brass and officers from various forces.
Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair earned $261,304.
Three plumbers at the Toronto District School Board earned more than $100,000, as did another man who repairs windows at Toronto schools.
Other notable figures include Royal Ontario Museum chief executive William Thorsell, who pulled in $265,701, while Carl Isenburg, head of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, made $270,439.
Almost 1,000 City of Toronto employees made the list, as did 707 Toronto police officers and 277 workers at the Toronto Transit Commission.
Political reaction
Opposition critics said the number of six-figure salaries at the lottery corporation "skyrocketed" under the governing Liberals, yet none of the big earners did anything to stop retailers from claiming tens of millions of dollars in prize money that wasn't theirs.
"Ontarians aren't winning the jackpot, but (Premier) Dalton McGuinty's friends and spin doctors sure are," said Conservative critic Christine Elliott.
NDP critic Peter Kormos complained about the salary of the former OLG head.
"What people simply cannot understand is Duncan Brown . . . how he's paid off with a severance package of three-quarters of a million dollars," Kormos complained.
Kormos couldn't understand the massive salaries of the energy executives and hospital administrators.
"People understand somebody in a senior management position making $100,000 or even $200,000," he said.
"But salaries like $600,000 and $700,000 a year, or $1.5 million a year? This is right out of touch with reality when you're tapping the taxpayer's pocketbook to pay those salaries."
The Conservatives said their main problem with the growing number of high-paid provincial workers is that voters aren't getting good value in return.
"We don't have any problem with people earning what they're supposed to earn for the performance that they provide," said Elliott.
"But I think most Ontarians would feel that we're not seeing better performance and service, so I don't think a lot of people will be very happy about this."
The government has been releasing the salary report every year since 1996.
Click here for the complete list.
With a report from CTV's Paul Bliss and files from The Canadian Press
