Category Manager Salary in Ontario (2025)
133 disclosed records, 2005–2025 · mostly Crown Agencies (77%)
Last filed under this title in 2025. Fewer than 20 records in the latest Sunshine List, so this page is kept for history.
At a Glance
2025
Disclosed
11
2025 Sunshine List
Median Salary
$146,261
+19.6% vs provincial median
Typical Range
$128,042–$153,755
25th–75th percentile
Top Salary
$161,548
Who is the highest-paid Category Manager in Ontario?
The highest-paid Category Manager on the 2025 Sunshine List was Dechang Liu at City Of Toronto – Toronto Transit Commission, with a salary of $161,548; the median among the 11 listed under this title was $146,261.
Take-Home Pay
(After Tax) · 2025 estimate
A Category Manager paid the 2025 median of $146,261 would take home roughly $101,753 after income tax, CPP and EI — about $8,479 a month, an effective rate of about 26.7%. The middle half of Category Manager salaries ran from $128,042 to $153,755. That is about 20% above the 2025 median across the whole list, $122,262. Pension contributions — likely PSPP or OPTrust in the Crown Agencies sector — would typically trim another 7–10% off that figure.
- Estimated net pay
- ~$101,753
- Effective income-tax rate (excl. CPP/EI)
- ~26.7%
- CPP + EI contributions
- ~$5,507
- Per month, after tax
- ~$8,479
Where does $146,261 rank on the Sunshine List? →
Estimate only: 2025 federal and Ontario rates, basic personal amounts, Canada employment amount and CPP/EI credits; single, employment income only, salary treated as full-year income. Ignores pension contributions (OMERS, HOOPP, OTPP, OPTrust and similar plans lower actual take-home), union dues, RRSPs and benefits.
Median by Year
2005–2025
Median salary paid among disclosed records. 2023 is absent: job titles were not disclosed that year. Years with fewer than five people are omitted.
Where They Work
2025 · employers with 5+
| Employer | People | Median | Top | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Toronto – Toronto Transit Commission | 7 | $153,538 | $161,548 | Pay here → |
Highest Paid
2025
| # | Name | Employer | Title as filed | Salary | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dechang LiuCategory Manager | City Of Toronto – Toronto Transit Commission | Category Manager | $161,548 | $164,258 |
| 2 | Sean OwenCategory Manager | City Of Toronto – Toronto Transit Commission | Category Manager | $161,548 | $164,258 |
| 3 | Jaswant ThandiCategory Manager | City Of Toronto – Toronto Transit Commission | Category Manager | $153,755 | $154,306 |
| 4 | Robert LeonardisCategory Manager | City Of Toronto – Toronto Transit Commission | Category Manager | $153,538 | $155,740 |
| 5 | Joseph AdekaleCategory Manager | City Of Toronto – Toronto Transit Commission | Category Manager | $147,218 | $147,652 |
| 6 | Samantha FerreiraCategory Manager | City Of Toronto – Toronto Transit Commission | Category Manager | $146,261 | $146,756 |
| 7 | Denise DurieCategory Manager | City Of Toronto – Toronto Transit Commission | Category Manager | $130,072 | $130,334 |
| 8 | Kim LashCategory Manager/ Gestionnaire de catégorie de produit | Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation | Category Manager/ Gestionnaire de catégorie de produit | $128,806 | $129,173 |
| 9 | David CalhounCategory Manager/Gestionnaire de catégorie de produit | Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation | Category Manager/Gestionnaire de catégorie de produit | $128,042 | $128,042 |
| 10 | Chris PrayCategory Manager/ Gestionnaire de catégorie de produit | Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation | Category Manager/ Gestionnaire de catégorie de produit | $120,061 | $120,402 |
By Year
Related Positions
About these figures
Source: Ontario’s Public Sector Salary Disclosure (the “Sunshine List”), which names every public-sector employee paid $100,000 or more in a calendar year. Figures are disclosed salaries, not market compensation: anyone in this position earning under $100,000 does not appear, so medians here sit above the true median for the job.
Medians and percentiles use salary paid (benefits excluded), computed over records whose filed job title was normalized into this position. Titles are as each employer filed them; spellings, word order and bilingual forms are merged. Employers and years with fewer than five people show counts only. 2023: job titles were not disclosed, so that year has no position data.
Data through 2025, the most recent Sunshine List disclosed.