Hospital bosses dominated the London portion of the annual disclosures under the so-called Sunshine Law, but the upper echelons of the list provincewide continue to be dominated by energy executives, mostly at Ontario Power Generation, the province's dominant electricity supplier.

Topping the London list was Tony Dagnone, former president of the London Health Sciences Centre, who was paid $460,299 and drew another $79,233 in taxable benefits.

The second-highest paid public servant on the list was Cliff Nordal, president of St. Joseph's Health Care, who -- with Dagnone's retirement last year -- has since become the London hospital czar in charge of both hospitals.

One month before Ontario homeowners are expected to see a hike in their electricity rates, the list shows the man in charge of Ontario's power transmission grid got a boost of nearly $500,000 in his salary.

Parkinson's gross pay rose from $1.1 million in 2004, a year in which he faced heavy criticism for taking three publicly funded helicopter rides to cottage country.

"Someone who forces risky work stoppages, drives up hydro rates and takes taxpayer-funded helicopter joyrides through cottage country deserves a pay cut -- not a raise," New Democrat Leader Howard Hampton said yesterday at Queen's Park.

The salary and benefit disclosures are required under a law passed by Ontario's former Conservative government and applied to the broad public sector from the government itself, to hospitals, school boards and municipalities.

Within the government itself, the number of civil servants drawing six-figure incomes rose by 23 per cent, although the average salary fell to $132,000 from $139,000.

Conservative Leader John Tory said qualified people should be rewarded for hard work with performance bonuses. But the public has a right to know why public servants, such as Parkinson, deserve their large paycheques, he said.

There's unevenness to the law too, he said: Most doctors don't disclose their earnings because they aren't employees of a public institution.

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