By: Michael Bennett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Ridgetown Independent News
Over 900 employees from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and the local health sector made the 2025 Sunshine List, earning salaries above $100,000.
A record 464 Municipality of Chatham-Kent employees earned six-figure salaries in 2025, along with 420 employees at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance and another 22 with the Chatham-Kent Community Health Centre.
The 2025 Public Sector Salary Disclosure was released last week, as required by all provincial public sector organizations, such as municipal governments, hospitals, school boards, colleges, universities, and hydroelectric companies, to list employees who earn $100,000 or more annually.
Dr. Vishal Chawla was the highest-paid public employee in Chatham-Kent in 2025, earning $509,216.71 in his role with the CK Community Health Centre. Dr. Chawla also topped the 2024 Sunshine List with a salary of $423,927.15.
Adam Topp, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance President and Chief Executive Officer, had the second-highest salary, earning $364,500 in his first full year in the position.
Dr. Malay Shah of the CK Health Centre was third, earning $360,009.43.
Michael Duben, Chatham-Kent Chief Administrative Officer, was the highest-paid municipal employee with a salary of $347,276.10 – up from $335,885.24 in 2024 – and is the fourth-highest wage earner in the municipality.
Shanker Nesathurai, Chatham-Kent Medical Officer of Health, had the fifth-highest salary in 2025, at $328,102.46, up from $317,850.35 in 2024.
The 464 Municipality of Chatham-Kent employees is an increase of 72 from the previous record of 392 employees on the 2024 Sunshine List.
The total for the municipality’s Sunshine salaries in 2025 is $61,735,983.89, about $ 11 million more than in 2024.
Chatham-Kent Police Chief Kirk Early had the third-highest salary among municipal employees at $282,007.30, up from $277,549.21 in 2024.
Edward Soldo, General Manager of Infrastructure and Engineering Services, earned $255,066.98 in 2025, a raise of about $14K up from his $241,303.61 salary.
Four more general managers all had salaries of $$246,860.16 in 2025 – Catherine Hoffman, GM Corporate Services/Chief Human Resources Officer, Bruce McAllister, GM Development Services, Gord Quinton, GM Finance/Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer, and Jodi Guilmette, GM Health and Human Services/Chief Executive Officer of Public Health.
Chris Case, Chatham-Kent Fire & Rescue Chief, had the ninth-highest salary at $236,129.65, an increase from his 2024 earnings of $228,301.59.
Jason Chickowski, Chatham-Kent Police Deputy Chief, rounded out the top 10 at $234,414.30.
Three other employees topped the $200,000 salary plateau.
Darren Galbraith, GM Public Utilities, earned $217,119.80; David Taylor, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, earned $206,692,39, and Audrey Ansell, Director Community Culture, earned $203.443.98.
Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff’s salary of $131,959 was 30th among mayors in Ontario.
There were 72 employees earning salaries between $150,000 and $200,000, while 406 earned between $100,000 and $150,000.
The Chatham-Kent Police Service has 116 staff in the Sunshine Club – two more than in 2024 – including 86 constables, 22 sergeants and five inspectors.
The Chatham-Kent Fire Service has 79 staff in the Sunshine Club – up from 64 in 2024 – including 57 firefighters, 10 captains, four assistant chiefs and three inspectors.
The firefighters’ list also includes 13 volunteers who have other full-time jobs in the municipality as managers, supervisors or police officers.
Meanwhile, at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, the 420 employees on the 2025 Sunshine List are 60 more than the previous record of 360 employees in 2024.
The combined salaries of the 2025 CKHA Sunshine List employees totalled $52,318,800.87, up from the $43,413,437.13 total in 2024.
Meredith Whitehead, Vice-President and Chief Nursing Executive, had the second-highest salary in 2025, earning $241,452.45, an increase from her $198,999.51 salary in 2024.
Caen Suni, Vice President, Clinical Programs and Operations, was third with a salary of $206,651.42, up almost $6,000 from $198,997.61 in 2024.
Aaron Ryan, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, was fourth with a salary of $201,377.73, down from $243,291.09 in 2024, when he served as the interim president and CEO after Lori Marshall’s retirement in June.
Natalie Clark, Chief Nursing Executive, rounded out the employees above the $200K plateau with a salary of $200,239.99, an increase from the $169,846 she earned as Director of Ambulatory and Virtual-Based Care in 2024.
Janice Wilmott, Director of Women and Children’s Services, was sixth with a salary of $189,454, followed by Jolene Kresan, Director Diagnostic and Therapeutic at $189,199; Justin Turkington, Chief Human Resources at $189,176; Alessandra Sullo, Director of Facilities, $186,939; and Fannie Vavoulis, Director of Communications, and Melissa Sharpe-Harrigan, Chatham-Kent Health Team Executive, rounding out the top 10 at $186,936.
A total of 194 registered nurses are on the Sunshine List, along with 34 managers, 22 registered technicians, 12 nurse practitioners and 11 directors.
At the CK Community Health Centre, Dr. Lalit Chawla had the third-highest salary at $286,977.05, followed by Dr. Hong Yu Su at $203,514.98 and Dr. Elizabeth Sherwin at $182,788.82, to round out the top five.
Province-wide, a record total of 414,922 employees earned six-figure salaries in 2025, up from 377,881 in 2024.
The top five salaries were held by Ontario Power Generation employees.
Former President and CEO Kenneth Hardwick was the highest-paid provincial employee, earning $1,907,408.69.
OPG’s new CEO, Nicolle Butcher, took home $1,596,218.20, while Chief Nuclear Officer Steve Gregoris made $1,092,854.84, and CFO Aida Cipolla $1,013,496.00 to round out the four employees with seven-figure salaries.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s salary was $269,567.49, a raise of nearly $60,000 from his 2024 wage.
