TORONTO -

Governor General David Johnston was the second highest paid public sector worker in Ontario last year, one of only two people paid more than $1 million by provincial taxpayers.

Johnston was paid $1,056,813 in salary and bonus as president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo, but will be paid only $129,800 in the vice-regal position he took on last October.

Johnston was second to Ontario Power Generation president and CEO Tom Mitchell on the province's sunshine list of public sector workers paid at least $100,000.

Mitchell was paid $1.3 million in 2010, compared with the $2.1 million paid to his predecessor, Jim Hankinson, who was in first place on the 2009 list. Mitchell, who took over in July 2009, was No. 2 on last year's list with salary and bonus totalling just over $1 million.

Hydro One CEO Laura Formusa was paid just over $955,000, down from $977,000 last year and about half what her predecessor earned.

"When you look at the top 20 executives at Hydro One, for example, they're now being paid 35 per cent less than they were being paid under the previous government," said Energy Minister Brad Duguid.

There are nearly 11,000 workers at government-owned Hydro One and OPG on the sunshine list.

"I think families would want to know that people looking after our nuclear units and big energy projects are qualified and skilled people, and because of that they are going to warrant a salary that is above some others," said Duguid.

Top executives at two other government-owned energy agencies, the Independent Electricity System Operator and the Ontario Financing Authority, were paid more than $600,000, as were CEOs at the Ontario Pension Board, the Ontario Securities Commission and Canadian Blood Services.

Clifford Nordal, CEO of St. Joseph's Health Care in London, topped the hospital sector with a pay package of $833,000, followed closely by Bob Bell of Toronto's University Health Network at $831,000.

More than two dozen hospital executives topped the half-million dollar pay level last year, including Hamilton Health Sciences president and CEO Murray Martin, who pulled in $705,000.

That same hospital lists $762,000 for former Deputy Health Minister Ron Sapsford's salary even though the government promised to stop hiding provincial employees' pay in hospital budgets.

Health Minister Deb Matthews, who spoke before the list was released, admitted hospitals pay very well, but said she wasn't concerned that 2,000 nurses also made the sunshine list.

"I share the concern that the public has with very high salaries in health care, so that's why we've taken some significant steps (like) tying compensation for senior executives in hospitals to achieving quality outcomes," said Matthews. "I'm not going to apologize for paying our nurses well. They're highly skilled people working very, very hard delivering front-line care."

Former York Region police chief Armand LaBarge was the highest paid municipal employee last year at $423,000, followed by Toronto police chief Bill Blair at $329,000.

TVO anchor Steve Paikin earned $279,258, up 14 per cent from 2009.

There are 71,478 public sector workers on the list, up 11 per cent or nearly 7,400 workers from last year, but the finance ministry said the average salary on the list is down one per cent.

That wasn't exactly what the Liberal government had in mind when it asked for a two-year wage freeze in the broader public sector to help trim a deficit now at $16.7 billion. Arbitrators refused to go along because there was no legislation to back up the wage freeze.

"I don't disagree with those who look at very generous settlements at a time when people are losing their jobs, when other unions in the private sector are taking large concessions, it does irritate people," said Finance Minister Dwight Duncan.

The Opposition pounced on the growth in the sunshine list as proof the Liberals aren't serious about reigning in the bureaucracy.

"I just think it's shocking that during the eight years that Mr. McGuinty has been premier that list has tripled, and he's doubled the debt of the province," said Progressive Conservative critic Jim Wilson.

The New Democrats said their biggest concern was the sunshine list doesn't include severance packages given to top public sector executives when they leave their jobs.

"If we're shedding the light, let's shed it on the sweetheart golden handshakes that happen when these people are shown the door," said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

The government points out that the $100,000 threshold first set in 1995 would be about $132,000 with inflation, and says 73 per cent of those on the list would no longer qualify at that level.

However, Premier Dalton McGuinty on Thursday rejected the idea of raising the $100,000 minimum for the sunshine list.

"We're not changing the threshold because the threshold has already been set, and we're not going to tinker with that," said McGuinty.

There are about 1.2 million people working in the broader public sector in Ontario, which includes direct civil servants plus municipal employees including police and firefighters, and staff at hospitals, schools, colleges and universities.