TORONTO - The new chief executive of Ontario Power Generation has an annual salary of $800,000 and could earn a $800,000 bonus if he meets "target performance," the giant power utility said Friday.
President and CEO Tom Mitchell's compensation is "significantly less" than his predecessor, Jim Hankinson, the OPG said.
Hankinson earned $2,485,000 last year in reported salary and benefits -- making him the province's highest paid civil servant.
Including the actuarial value of his pension, Hankinson actually received $3,451,946 in compensation in 2008.
Mitchell accepted the post in July, after serving as OPG's chief nuclear officer.
The OPG's commitment to accountability includes "developing clear and ethical policies and guidelines when it comes to spending money," Mitchell said in a statement.
"Accountability also means being open and transparent. That is why I decided to take this unique step of publicly posting information regarding my salary and business expenses well in advance of the formal disclosure requirements."
Mitchell's expenses between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30 amounted to $27,802, mostly comprising flight and hotel expenses to attend conferences and meetings.
His decision to reveal his salary will come as cold comfort to taxpayers who are struggling to make ends meet in the economic downturn, said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.
"I've got to say, when the people of this province are facing job losses left, right and centre, when we're seeing programs to help people get back on their feet being cut, or at least postponed without any date in sight as to when they'll be restarted, it seems to me quite a high salary," she said.
Mitchell's disclosure comes as the governing Liberals grapple with spending scandals at Ontario agencies.
A scathing auditor's report into eHealth Ontario found that the province's mismanaged efforts to create electronic health records allowed consultants to run amok with little oversight while millions of dollars in untendered contracts went out the door.
