Organizational Mission and Values

As outlined in the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, Health Sciences North (HSN) is committed to the provision of exceptional care, transformative teaching and impactful research to improve health outcomes for the diverse people and communities of Northeastern Ontario aligned with our corporate values of respect, compassion, quality, transparency and accountability.

Compensation Philosophy

HSN is committed to the provision of appropriate compensation for the work performed by all employees, including Designated Executives, in compliance with all legislative requirements including, but not limited to, the Excellent Care for All Act, 2010 (ECFAA) and the Broader Public Sector Executive Compensation Act, 2014 (BPSECA). Designated Executives include the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Chief of Staff (COS), all Vice-Presidents, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Health Sciences North (HSN) provides an overview of the executive compensation framework for its designated executives, as well as full contractual details for its President & CEO.

The hospital benchmarks executive compensation against Ontario hospitals of similar size, complexity, and with a similar executive structure as well as compensation in the Ontario hospital sector and broader public sector. A third party is used to conduct the executive benchmarking and job matching process.

HSN is committed to strong organizational performance and to being a workplace where people can thrive. We believe that a holistic approach to compensation will support retention and high performance as we work to provide the best possible healthcare to the people we serve and advance the hospital’s strategic priorities.

HSN’s compensation program is committed to be fair, consistent, equitable and competitive and is guided by the following philosophy:

“To compensate jobs based on the four (4) equity principles (internal, external, individual and procedural equity) to effectively attract, retain and motivate highly skilled employees while keeping in mind the organization’s fiscal accountabilities and ability to pay.”

The Role of the Board of Directors

The Board establishes the overall executive compensation framework, which sets the parameters for compensation for the CEO, COS, and members of the Senior Leadership Team. The executive compensation framework is variable and is designed to recognize executives for accomplishing annually established key corporate priorities and the Quality Improvement Plan (QIP). The salary structure is anchored at the market 50th percentile base salary compared to the Broader Public Sector.

The CEO and COS are directly accountable to the hospital’s Board of Directors. In alignment with the Board of Directors policy II-4 Executive Performance Evaluation and Compensation, the Executive Committee of the Board determines the total annual compensation for the CEO and COS by evaluating their performance against stated objectives. The committee brings its performance evaluations and compensation recommendations to the full Board for approval.

The Board also oversees a 360-degree evaluation process for the CEO and COS. These are conducted once an executive has been in their role for at least one (1) year and generally, that such a review not be conducted any more frequently than once every three (3) years.  The 360-degree evaluations include the solicitation of feedback from superiors, subordinates, peers and external stakeholders.

The Role of the CEO

All Executives are directly accountable to the CEO. The CEO determines each Executive’s annual compensation within the framework established by the Board of Directors. Each year, the CEO evaluates performance against pre-determined objectives.

The CEO also oversees a 360-degree evaluation process for the VPs. These are conducted once an executive has been in their role for at least one (1) year and generally, that such a review not be conducted any more frequently than once every three (3) years.

Compensation

Total compensation for HSN executives includes the following elements:

• Annual Salary Compensation: The amount paid to the executive each year;
• Variable Earnings as Linked to Performance Outcomes: Ten per cent (10%) of each executive’s compensation is withheld pending the achievement of specified goals and objectives with the exception of the President and CEO where this is fifteen per cent (15%);
• Benefits Package: The same standard benefits package that is provided to all salaried management employees of HSN, which includes short-term disability benefits, long-term disability benefits, group life insurance, dental benefits and extended health insurance.

The compensation framework for Vice Presidents, CIO and CFO establishes a minimum annual base compensation of $230,000 and a maximum annual base compensation of $290,000. These roles are positioned at an appropriate salary within this framework.

Variable earnings linked to performance outcomes is tied to the achievement of annual goals, including but not limited to, those arising from the Strategic Plan, Quality Improvement Plan and annual Executive Performance Goals.

Salary Disclosure

Note that compensation outcomes may not align exactly with figures provided annually through the Ministry of Finance salary disclosure (“Sunshine List”). These amounts can differ for several reasons, for example:

• Annual salary disclosure is based on the calendar year (January 1 – December 31), while HSN compensation is based on the fiscal year (April 1 – March 31)
• Some fiscal years have one additional pay period
• The amount of variable earnings paid to the executive is based on performance and may not be consistent from year to year

The Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act, 1996 is just one measure ensuring Ontario’s public sector is transparent and accountable to taxpayers. The act requires organizations that receive public funding from the Province of Ontario to disclose annually the names, positions, salaries and total taxable benefits of employees paid $100,000 or more in a calendar year.

The act applies to organizations such as the Government of Ontario, Crown Agencies, Municipalities, Hospitals, Boards of Public Health, School Boards, Universities, Colleges, Hydro One, Ontario Power Generation, and other public sector employers who receive a significant level of funding from the provincial government.

Ontario’s hospitals operate in one of the most demanding, complex, accountable healthcare systems in all of Canada. Virtually every aspect of a hospital’s performance is regularly subject to external, independent scrutiny, including compensation of its employees. Benchmarking has shown that the salaries at HSN are on par with our peer hospitals of similar size, complexity, uniqueness, and purpose across the province.

Public sector salary disclosure | ontario.ca

Full contractual details for the President and CEO are provided on the following page.

Summary of Contractual Terms and Conditions for Dr. David McNeil as of January 1, 2026

Unless otherwise required, the above summary is reviewed annually and adjusted at the beginning of each fiscal year.