Ontario's Sunshine List is the most famous, but it is far from the only one. Most Canadian provinces disclose public-sector compensation in some form — but the threshold, the legislation, and what counts vary a lot from province to province.
The thresholds, side by side
| Province | Threshold | Disclosure framework |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | $100,000 | Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act, 1996 |
| British Columbia | $75,000 | Financial Information Act |
| Alberta | ~$159,000 | Public Service Compensation Disclosure |
| Manitoba | $85,000 | Public Sector Compensation Disclosure Act |
| Saskatchewan | $50,000 | Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act |
| Nova Scotia | $100,000 | Public Sector Compensation Disclosure Act |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | $100,000 | Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act, 2016 |
The numbers tell a story on their own. Saskatchewan's list starts at just $50,000, so it captures far more of the workforce, while Alberta's threshold floats near $159,000 and mostly captures senior staff.
Provinces that work differently
- New Brunswick publishes payments through its public accounts rather than a single salary threshold.
- Prince Edward Island has no standalone sunshine-list law in force, though some compensation is disclosed through public accounts.
- Quebec does not publish an individual public-sector salary list comparable to Ontario's.
Because thresholds differ, comparing raw "list sizes" between provinces is misleading. A bigger list often just means a lower threshold — not higher pay.
How to search each province
You can browse any covered province on this site from the provinces directory, or jump straight to the comparison tool to see thresholds, employee counts, and average pay side by side.