Mar 24, 2020
Ontario cannabis businesses tally 39 names on Sunshine List for 2019
More than three-dozen Ontario government employees working in the cannabis space were named on the province's annual Sunshine List, which tracks public-sector staffers that make more than $100,000 a year.
The majority of those listed represent The Ontario Cannabis Store, accounting for 36 of the 39 people associated with the cannabis sector on the list, which was released late Friday.
OCS chief commercial officer Cheri Mara was the top earner among her peers, making $241,284 in 2019. Nicole Stewart, who is the Department of Finance Canada's lead on implementing cannabis retail in the province, was the top ministerial earner, with an annual salary of $190,702.
"As it established operations, the OCS designed a compensation approach that allows it to attract, retain and develop talent while remaining fiscally responsible," said OCS communications director Daffyd Roderick, in an email to BNN Bloomberg.
Roderick added the OCS's compensation structure adheres to pre-existing guidelines and other regulations. He added that he expects the amount of OCS employees on the Sunshine List to decline in the coming years.
"With its focus on e-commerce and wholesale, OCS will remain a smaller agency focused on management and oversight and does not intend to grow its headcount significantly going forward," said Roderick, who is also listed on the Sunshine List with a salary of $178,843.
Ontario's cannabis business is expected to make a $10 million profit in fiscal 2019-2020, according to the province's most recent fall economic update. It booked a $42 million loss in its previous fiscal year.
