Seven of city’s 10 best-paid employees work for police

The City of Winnipeg’s 2025 compensation disclosure document, released Friday, shows seven of the top 10 highest paid employees are police officers.

Winnipeg Police Service Chief Gene Bowers earned $313,467 during his first year in the position, coming second only to an unnamed police superintendent who took home $491,926.

Collectively, WPS members earned $2.1 million of the total $2.9 million paid to the city’s highest earners, equivalent to about 72 per cent. That includes a constable ranked No. 8 in the top 10 after earning $260,234 — more than outgoing Winnipeg Fire Paramedic chief Christian Schmidt (No. 9) at $255,036.

Schmidt’s successor, Ryan Sneath, who was appointed chief this week, earned $247,432 last year.

A community paramedic was paid more than either of them, at $263,353, earning a spot at No. 7.

The only employee in the top 10 who did not work for the WPS or WFPS was Cindy Fernandes, the city’s director of community services, who was the third-highest earner at $297,558.

Under provincial law, all Manitoba municipalities must publish an annual list of all employees and elected officials who received compensation of $85,000 or more in the previous fiscal year. The figure reported for each employee may include any combination of salary and taxable benefits, overtime, retroactive pay adjustments, retirement allowance, sick pay cash out, vacation pay cash out, back pay and severance pay.

It is not unusual for police to be among the highest-paid employees in the Manitoba capital. WPS members have represented at least half of the top earners in each year since 2019, except for 2020, when the top 10 included just four police employees.

The latest disclosure document contained information on 4,361 public servants, including Mayor Scott Gillingham and 15 members of city council.

Gillingham earned $231,969 last year, up from $223,338 in 2024 and approximately six per cent more than his salary in 2023, when he took office.

Coun. Jeff Browaty, chair of council’s finance committee, was the city’s highest-paid councillor at $142, 273. He was followed by community services chair Coun. Vivian Santos at $142,071 and speaker Coun. Devi Sharma at $141,812.

Acting deputy mayor Janice Lukes, who announced this week she will not run for re-election after 12 years in office, earned just a few dollars less than Sharma.

Coun. Matt Allard was the lowest-paid member of council at $125,906. Just over $100,000 was paid to the estate of late councillor Jason Schreyer, who died in April 2025.

Gregory Ewankiw, director of Winnipeg Transit, earned $240,052 in 2025 amid a challenging overhaul of the city’s bus network.

The variety of other positions included in the disclosure document also included senior managers, engineers, architects, chemists, technologists, planners, accountants, medical professionals, lawyers, surveyors, assessors, information technology professionals, librarians, analysts and others employed by the city.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca