A report heading to the Guelph Police Services Board on Thursday indicates 188 members of the Guelph Police Service made at least $100,000 in 2022.
The figures come as part of the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act, which aims to make Ontario's public sector more open and accountable to taxpayers by publicly listing all public sector employees who made at least $100,000.
The 188 people who made the list account for 54.5 per cent of the police force’s members.
This number is up by 18 people compared to the 170 people who passed the six-figure salary threshold in 2021.
“There is a 10.6 per cent increase in the number of members who were paid $100,000 or more in 2022 compared to the previous year,” the report reads.
According to the report, the negotiated rate of pay for the position of first class police constable exceeds $100,000 – meaning all officers in this position are automatically included in the salary disclosure.
Additionally, the police service noted workplace leaves and COVID-19-related absenteeism resulted in increased overtime and call out premiums, and that the Guelph police collective agreements include an option to request an overtime bank payout contributed to higher salaries.
The $100,000 threshold has remained the same since the Public Sector Salary Disclosure list was introduced in 1996.
According to the Guelph police, if the threshold was adjusted for inflation since that time, the real benchmark salary would now be around $165,000 according to the Bank of Canada's inflation calculator. On this basis, ten members in 2022 would be on the disclosed list.
The police service did not break down the dollar figure for those who made the list. Those figures are expected to be released in the near future.
