Why is this woman smiling? Could it be because Trent President Bonnie Patterson was paid more than $240,350 in 2003 (salary plus taxable benefits). Given that Patterson has numerous responsibilities that take her away from Trent, some have suggested her Trent presidency is effectively part-time. Not a bad wage for a part time job! In this article we also post the salary disclosure chart for the other members of Trents $100,000 plus club.

Local News - The $100,000-club expanded this year with dozens of hospitalists and university professors joining the ranks of public employees whose salaries exceed that magic number.

All provincially-funded organizations are required to disclose the names, positions, salaries and taxable benefits of employees paid $100,000 or more for the previous year under the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act.

While all organizations have until March 31 to disclose their salaries, the two school boards, Trent University, Sir Sandford Fleming College, the Peterborough Regional Health Centre, Ross Memorial Hospital and the city released their information yesterday.

This year, the $100,000-club had 128 members, an increase over the 70 reported last year. There were 94 staff members from Trent listed.

There were six $200,000-earners listed, including three from the hospital:

• former PRHC president and CEO Rob Devitt – $226,500
• PRHC lead hospitalist Dr. Susan Sudbury – $224,799
• PRHC hospitalist Dr. William Shannon – $224,211
• Ross Memorial Hospital president and CEO Anthony Vines – $217,883
• Trent president Bonnie Patterson – $217,350
• Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board director of education Avis Glaze – $209,007

Two others, Sir Sandford Fleming president Brian Desbiens at $196,470 and PRHC hospitalist Dr. Robert Morrison with $193,488, came close.

Colin Taylor, Trent’s dean of arts and science, said there were two reasons for the sudden appearance of 33 full and associate professors on the list: salary negotiations and a large number of professors who were just under $100,000 last year.

“It’s part of the reality of operating this kind of operation,” Taylor said. “Our rates are not out of line with other institutions.”

The increases, however, don’t come without their effects.

“We find ourselves making the kinds of tradeoffs all universities face,” he said.

While some professors saw increases of 15 to 20 per cent, others received almost no increase.

Taylor said many professors earn extra income by teaching extra courses or through recognition of extraordinary achievement by the university.

Taylor said he couldn’t speak for Patterson’s salary, which has seen an increase of close to $35,000 in the past two years, because it is approved by the university’s board of governors.

Patterson also had more than $23,000 in taxable benefits.

She could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Public school board chairwoman Angela Lloyd said she felt director of education Glaze was a good investment and was more than earning her money.

“She is the most sought after director in the province,” Lloyd said.

She said Glaze had been hired to help create a strong school board with a highly educated student body and hiring such expertise costs money.

Ruth Kirkham, president of Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation local 14, said her salary matches that of many corporate leaders.

“That would certainly be in line with the top echelon of a large corporation,” she said. “Is that outlandish? I don’t think so.”

Source: Peterborough Examiner - March 26, 2004

RECORD OF EMPLOYEES' 2003 SALARIES AND BENEFITS (Source: Trent Website)