The Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act, 1996 makes Ontario’s public sector more open and accountable to taxpayers. The act requires organizations that receive public funding from the Province of Ontario to make public, by March 31 each year, the names, positions, salaries and total taxable benefits of employees paid $100,000 or more in the previous calendar year.
About OSList.ca
An online database featuring details of public sector employees, including their employers and job titles, who earned annual salaries of $100,000 or more from 2001 to 2022 and beyond in Ontario, a Canadian province.
The site serves as a free public resource and is independent of any affiliation with the Ontario Government or any Government Agency. A group of dedicated individuals, driven by passion, is committed to delivering high-quality services to its users. OSList.ca places great emphasis on offering exceptional customer service and cultivating enduring relationships with its user base. Pride is taken in the quality of the services provided, and continuous efforts are made to enhance and innovate.
Online database Methodology
The data regarding public sector employees showcased on this site is derived from the Ontario Sunshine List. OSList.ca has diligently undergone a thorough process to analyze this information, ensuring the delivery of valuable insights to its users. The sunshine list was introduced by the Ontario government in 1996 during the tenure of the Mike Harris administration.
1. Data Collection:
The website exclusively uses publicly available sunshine lists from the Government of Ontario for data collection. It incorporates additional data files like Addendum, Deletions, and Changes to ensure completeness. Algorithms are periodically used to check and update these files, ensuring data accuracy. The site is updated within 24 hours of the annual release of the sunshine list by the Government of Ontario.
2. Data Processing:
Specialized algorithms are created to process and clean data in the sunshine list dataset, focusing on error elimination and standardization of employer names, position titles, and individuals’ first and last names for consistency. The site employs “common records” to identify individuals based on matching names, employer names, and records from different years.
3. Calculations:
Year-over-year salary increases are computed using common records, ensuring consistency in calculations. Common records are determined by identical first and last names, identical employer names, and records from different years. Both average and median salaries are calculated for job titles and employers. The gender of employees is identified based on their first names using the genderize.io API.
4. Presentation
The information is organized into five categories: Years, Sectors, Job Titles, Employers, and Employees. The database includes over 6,000 employers, 100,000 unique position titles, and half a million employees spanning the last 22 years, presented through tables and charts. Users can explore data by searching for Job Titles, Employers, and Employees. Additionally, the site provides FAQs addressing Employers and Job Titles.
