Comparing public-sector pay between provinces is trickier than it looks — because each province draws its disclosure line in a different place. Ontario discloses at $100,000; British Columbia at $75,000. That single difference shapes everything else.
Why list size is misleading
BC's lower threshold means more people appear on its list — but that doesn't mean BC pays more. A bigger list often just reflects a lower bar. To compare fairly you have to look at averages and top-end pay, not raw counts.
Rule of thumb: never compare two provinces' "list sizes" directly. Compare average pay, top salaries, and the count of high earners (e.g. $200K+) instead.
Compare them yourself
Our comparison tool puts the two side by side: threshold, employees on the list, average compensation, top salary, and how many clear $200K, $500K, and $1M. The trends pages show how each province's averages have moved year over year.
What tends to drive the gap
- Cost of living — Vancouver and Toronto both pull senior pay upward.
- Sector mix — a province heavy in health care or Crown corporations skews differently.
- Union strength and bargaining cycles time raises differently across provinces.