This is how much mayors earn in Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, Whitby and Halton

The 2022 Sunshine List is out and it notes the salaries of mayors across Ontario — including Mississauga, Hamilton, Brampton, Halton, Niagara and Durham.

The Sunshine List or Public Sector Salary Disclosure is released each year to identify provincial and municipal government workers who earn more than $100,000 annually. The purpose of the list is to provide transparency into the spending patterns of government bodies and agencies.

And while they take the spotlight, the job of mayor isn’t as well paid as other jobs in a municipality. In Mississauga, the mayor makes much less than many staff members.

The salaries of mayor and council are normally voted on. Municipalities use a range of factors to determine the salaries — the most common practice is to survey the compensation paid by neighbouring municipalities, according to an Association of Municipalities of Ontario report.

But a look at GTA municipalities shows a wide range of salaries that aren’t impacted by the size of the city or town.

Last year, Hamilton’s Mayor Fred Eisenberger (now retired), was the highest earner of the 15 cities insauga.com covers. This year, Burlington’s Mayor Marianne Meed Ward has taken the top spot with a salary of $191,619.82, followed closely by Oakville Mayor Rob Burton at $191,270.30.

Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward

Mississauga and Brampton mayors come in near the middle of the list despite the fact that they are much larger cities than Milton, Oakville and many others.

The population of Milton, for example, is around 130,000 while Mississauga’s population is more than 800,000.

It should be noted that the 2022 municipal election may have impacted some salaries on this list with some mayors leaving their positions.

And, although this list reflects the salaries posted on the Public Sector Salary Disclosure, some mayors have additional remuneration from upper tier governments or boards. The mayors of Mississauga and Brampton, for example, are paid $60,012.25 per year for sitting on the Peel Regional Council.

Here is a list of 15 mayors’ salaries ordered from highest to lowest:

Editor’s note: This story was updated on March 29 with additional information on mayors who sit on upper tier councils.