By Chad Ingram

Published July 14 2016

Twenty-two officers from the Haliburton Highlands OPP detachment made the province’s public salary disclosure list – the so-called “sunshine list” – in 2015.

The salaries of those 22 officers total nearly $2.5 million.

Earlier this year the Times published a story showing salary ranges for local employees who made the list which shows the names and positions of those earning $100000 or more per year.

The Public Salary Disclosure Act was brought in under the government of former premier Mike Harris.

While most publicly paid employees are searchable by their direct employer – the County of Haliburton or Trillium Lakelands District School Board for example – OPP officers are not searchable by detachment. Rather their names are listed under the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services at large.

Therefore it’s necessary to have a detachment staff list in order to complete a search. In the past the list has been provided to the newspaper without issue.

When the Times requested a staff list this year the communications officer from the local detachment responded that “due to the operational nature of your request that is something that cannot be provided by the OPP. If you wish you can make a request through the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.”

The paper made that request and last week received a copy of the staff list from the ministry.

It showed that 22 of the more than 30 officers reporting to the Haliburton Highlands OPP detachment made the list for 2015 with salaries ranging from just more than $101000 to more than $143000.