The provincial legislation requires institutions to develop a list of comparable organizations with which to develop their compensation frameworks. Comparator organizations are ones that are similar to the employer with respect to most or all of the following factors:

• Scope of responsibilities of the organization’s executives
• Type of operations in which the organization engages
• Industries within which the organization competes for executives
• Size and scope of the organization
• Location of the organization

McMaster University has carefully and consistently selected comparator organizations for its executive positions, with great consideration for the market within which it competes for talent. Chosen comparators include Canadian universities and hospitals.