EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was editted April 1 for clarity to include that this is the first municipal politician in Lambton to be on the Sunshine List.

Heather Wright/The Independent

In the thirty years the province has disclosed the salaries of public servants, a Lambton municipal politician’s name has never appeared on the so-called Sunshine List. Until now.

The province released the annual list March 27, listing 404,922 paid by the public purse who make more than $100,000, a mark set by former Premier Mike Harris when the legislation was introduced. 

There are the usual people on the list, Ontario Power Generation holds down the top five spots on the list with consultant Kenneth Hartwick earning the highest provincial salary at about $1,908,000.

Bluewater Health’s CEO, Paula Reaume-Zimmer, is the highest paid public servant in Lambton, with a salary of over $358,451 followed closely by Lambton’s Medical Officer of Health, Karalyn Dueck at $348,420.

Every municipality with the exception of the Village of Oil Springs had employees on the 2025 list including seven in Petrolia and nine in St. Clair Township. 

The CAO there was paid just over $202,000 in 2025.

While media types scan the list for abnormalities or giant salaries, one stood out this year; Lambton County’s Warden Kevin Marriott.

His salary for the work as warden was listed as $102,265.70.

“Really? I did not know that,” said Marriott when contacted by The Independent.

County Treasurer Karen Bettridge said $93,865.70 is the warden’s salary and another $8,700 is granted for the warden’s vehicle allowance.

Before becoming warden, Marriott frequently pushed for the county to keep expenses in line with inflation. A goal he still pushes for now, he said. And Marriott expects some people will view the warden’s salary as “overboard” agreeing not too long ago, he might have said the same thing.

Marriott has been Lambton’s top municipal politician for six years and, at the end of his term after the October municipal election, will be the longest serving warden in Lambton’s history.

The job can be taxing at time, he says, recalling the long hours during the pandemic. But Marriott says even in post-pandemic life, the pace is hectic attending meetings and special events locally, being a member of the Western Warden’s caucus and meeting with federal and provincial officials. 

And, he says, there are a lot of people who want to speak to him personally. “I usually spend my whole evening returning phone calls,” Marriott says.

“If I get a phone call with a phone message they want to talk to me, I wait till evening because you don’t know how long it’s going to take.”

Marriott isn’t sure if the long hours or the scrutiny of being on the Sunshine List would deter people from running for office, but says it likely doesn’t help.

Marriott shares entry on the Public Salary Disclosure List with his municipality, Enniskillen Township, which again had two people on the list including the retired administrator, Duncan McTavish.

In nearby Petrolia, the CAO was the top earner at $173,268.61, up $13,000 over his 2024 salary of about $160,000. That’s about an eight per cent increase.

All of the town’s directors also made the list as did the fire chief.

In St. Clair Township, the CAO’s salary climbed to $202,001.85 from $190,372.00. That’s about what Lambton Shores CAO earned in 2025. 

The CAO in Warwick earned about $145,000. There are three other employees from the township over the $100,000 mark.

There are seven people in the Town of Plympton-Wyoming on the Sunshine list including the CAO Adam Sobanski who eared around $178,000 compared to $163,000 in 2024. That’s a nine per cent increase.

Both the Municipality of Brooke-Alvinston and Dawn-Euphemia had only one executive on the list – their CAOs.

Executive salaries at Bluewater Health also went up. Reaume-Zimmer’s $358,451 salary is up over $38,000 from her $319,546.68 2024 salary. That’s a 12 per cent increase. 

The head of the Lambton-Kent District School Board, Gary Girardi earned $261,490. That’s just $5,000 less than the former director, John Howitt earned in 2024. Howitt is also on the 2025 Sunshine List, earning $172,608.52 after retiring in April 2025.

Lambton County CAO Stephane Thiffeault earned $291,727.73 up just under $23,000 from 2024’s list, an eight per cent increase.

One of the few executive salaries which did no rise was Lambton College President Rob Kardas. It was listed at $304,105.74, the same as 2024 as the college dealt with financial problems due to declining enrollment.