What to know
The 2025 Sunshine List shows over 400,000 public employees earning over $100,000.
Doug Ford and other officials saw pay increases, while Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow ranked among the province’s highest-paid mayors.
Online backlash focused on Kara Ford’s 33.9% salary jump in one year, with critics raising concerns about fairness and potential nepotism.
The latest edition of the Ontario Sunshine List is sparking online reaction after it revealed Premier Doug Ford’s staff salaries went up in 2025, and that one of his daughters received a raise of over 33 per cent in just one year.
The province’s latest Sunshine List found that over 404,922 of the province’s public employees earned over $100,000 in 2025, compared to 377,881 in 2024. According to the list, the top 50 employees’ salaries added up to $8.1 million.
Ford himself appeared to have gotten a raise, with his salary going from $208,974 in 2024 to $269,567 last year.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow ranked the second best-paid mayor in the province, receiving $240,349 last year, behind only Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti with a $308,179 salary.
Ontario President of the Treasury Board Caroline Mulroney said in a statement that the salary increases have to do with “unique factors,” including collective bargaining, additional pay period for organizations, and retroactive payments.
“Over 50 per cent of this year’s growth was driven by municipalities, which includes local police and fire services whose work continues to protect Ontario communities. Of the total list, more than half is comprised of public service organizations like school boards, hospitals and public boards of health, which in large part is comprised of nurses and teachers,” she added.
The province and its publicly-funded corporations are required to reveal the names, salaries and positions of its employees paid more than $100,000 under the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act, 1996.
However, it was not only Ontario’s politicians’ salaries that sparked reaction online.
According to the list, the premier’s daughter Kara Ford who is a Director, Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement at the Runnymede Healthcare Centre was paid $211,468 last year. The six-figure salary is a 33.9 per cent increase from her salary last year, which was $157,884, under the same title.
The list also revealed this is not the first time Kara has received a considerable raise. Last year, her salary went up by 19 per cent from $132,702 in 2023, when she was a Manager, Public Affairs, Corporate Communication and Volunteer Services. The year before, she made $128,052 under the same role.
The premier daughter’s salary surprised many online, who are raising concerns over the recent steep increases.
“Pretty jealous, [I’m] not gonna lie. I have a similar background in education but went to university and have a postgrad. I’m not clearing half of what she is. Nepotism is real,” one person wrote on Reddit.
“Wow, as a nurse, my raise was something like $1.20 an hour last year. Thanks Ford,” another Redditor said.
“Looks like her basket weaving course paid off!” another person sarcastically added.
“That’s insane,” one more user commented.
Now Toronto reached out to the Runnymede Healthcare Centre and Kara Ford for comment, but received no response in time for publication.