Minden Hills mayor Bob Carter defended large wage increases for three staff members in 2025, including the CAO, director of public works, and supervisor of waste management.
According to the public sector salary disclosure 2025, chief administrative officer, Cynthia Fletcher, made $187,046 – compared to $180,865 in 2024 – up $6,000. Her predecessor, Trisha McKibbon, earned $137,774, in 2022.
According to the 2025 list, director of public works, Mike Timmins, made $147,555, versus $126,961 in 2024 – a $20,594 jump.
Supervisor of waste management, Chelsea Cosh, did not appear on the 2024 Sunshine List, but made it last year, being paid $106,705.
Carter said the sunshine list does not provide all of the facts behind council’s decision surrounding salaries and taxable benefits. For example, he said all three staffers are now working more hours.
“When we took over this term, our salaries were a real mishmash of things that had grown over the years. We had people working 35-hour weeks, people working 37.5-hour weeks and people working 40-hour weeks.
“We had situations where we had supervisors working 35 hours and their staff working 40 … so what we have tried to do is standardize and move almost everybody to 40-hour weeks.”
The mayor added while it appears their salaries have risen, the total cost to the township hasn’t necessarily gone up. For example, he said if they work a 40-hour week now, they are not eligible for as much overtime pay.
Carter added, “I will put our salaries up against any other municipality of similar size and with jobs of similar stature. Our salaries are not out of whack. We looked at them carefully and everybody on council approved these salaries.”
By way of comparison, Dysart et al CAO Tamara Wilbee pulled in more than $203,000 last year, Algonquin Highlands CAO Angie Bird made just under $168,000, and Highlands East staff lead Brittany McCaw more than $135,500.
Dysart’s director of public works, Rob Camelon, earned more than $152,000; Adam Thorn of Algonquin Highlands nearly $140,000; and Perry Kelly of Highlands East more than $135,786, with Highlands East environmental staffer Patrick Thompson making more than $110,000.
Carter reiterated in an interview last week, the increases “came about because of change of hours. You work more; you get paid more. The justification is they are being paid commensurate with what the job pays across the market.”
