Special Advisor Salary in Ontario (2025)
248 disclosed records, 1996–2025 · mostly Government of Ontario – Ministries (53%)
At a Glance
2025
Disclosed
26
2025 Sunshine List
Median Salary
$129,335
+5.8% vs provincial median
Typical Range
$113,788–$174,212
25th–75th percentile
Top Salary
$1,907,409
Who was the highest-paid employee under the title "Special Advisor" in Ontario in 2025?
The highest-paid record grouped under the title "Special Advisor" on the 2025 Sunshine List was Kenneth Hartwick at Ontario Power Generation, with a salary of $1,907,409; the median among the 26 listed under this title was $129,335.
Take-Home Pay
(After Tax) · 2025 estimate
A Special Advisor paid the 2025 median of $129,335 would take home roughly $92,175 after income tax, CPP and EI — about $7,681 a month, an all-in deduction rate of about 28.7%. Across every sector the 2025 median was $122,262, so this position sits about 6% above it. Most Government of Ontario – Ministries employees belong to PSPP or OPTrust, so actual take-home is likely another 7–10% lower after pension contributions.
- Estimated net pay
- ~$92,175
- Effective income-tax rate (excl. CPP/EI)
- ~24.5%
- CPP + EI contributions
- ~$5,507
- All-in deduction rate (incl. CPP/EI)
- ~28.7%
- Per month, after tax
- ~$7,681
Where does $129,335 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
Highest Paid
2025
| # | Name | Salary | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenneth HartwickSpecial Advisor | $1,907,409 | $1,910,992 |
| 2 | Armand De KempSpecial Advisor / Conseiller spécial | $348,694 | $348,993 |
| 3 | Pat ChaukosSpecial Advisor / Conseillère spéciale | $319,617 | $319,617 |
| 4 | John PhippenSpecial Advisor | $202,671 | $204,686 |
| 5 | Mark BrittSpecial Advisor | $197,417 | $197,417 |
| 6 | Joseph ChiarelliSpecial Advisor | $197,011 | $197,011 |
| 7 | Karen NoakesSpecial Advisor | $174,212 | $174,212 |
| 8 | Joseph GoodwinSpecial Advisor | $168,961 | $170,153 |
| 9 | Felice LambermontSpecial Advisor / Conseillère spéciale | $161,285 | $161,285 |
| 10 | Patricia BestSpecial Advisor | $155,236 | $155,431 |
By Year
Related Positions
- General Duty Officer2,942
- Law Enforcement Officer2,864
- Team Leader1,492
- Investigator1,192
- Assistant Crown Attorney997
- Senior Policy Advisor933
- Supervisor874
- Counsel737
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. Titles before 2005 were abbreviated at source; the chart starts at 2005.
Data through 2025, the most recent Sunshine List disclosed.