Tory, councillors getting 2% raise in new year
Torontosun.com
Dec. 20, 2015
By Shawn Jeffords
Guess who’s getting a raise on Jan. 1? Mayor John Tory and the rest of city council.
The 2016 budget includes a 2% raise for Tory and all 44 city councillors.
Under the proposed budget set to be approved by council early next year, councillors will receive a cost of living raise equivalent to the Consumer Price Index. That figure is currently set at 2%, but could change when the final number is set in January. That means Tory’s 2015 salary of $181,937 and all 44 city councillors at $108,032 will increase.
Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong defends the increase, saying that many councillors work hard and have weighty responsibilities.
“Members of council are making the same amount of money they were making three or four years ago, adjusted for inflation,” Minnan-Wong told the Sun. “I don’t think that’s unreasonable.”
City figures show that councillors’ salaries have jumped by nearly $21,000 over the past decade. In 2011, councillors voted to freeze their salaries as the city geared up for a battle with unions over wage increases and plans to contract out some garbage collection. This year, the city finds itself in a similar situation as contracts with Canadian Union of Public Employees Locals 79 and 416 - its inside and outside workers - expire at the end of the year. But Minnan-Wong said that he doesn’t support another salary freeze.
“Any private sector group making decisions in a multibillion-dollar organization would likely be paid a lot more money,” he said. “I don’t think the modest increase really is a big issue.”
A May 2014 consultant’s report found that Toronto councillors’ pay was lower than councillors in cities like Calgary, Edmonton and Hamilton.
“Toronto councillors are actually sitting at what statistically is the 37th percentile when we compare to other municipalities,” deputy city clerk Winnie Li said. “It’s important to look at how (councillors) are being paid compared to everyone else.”
Meanwhile, councillors’ budget for constituency offices has jumped by $21,900, according to the budget.
In 2012, more councillors began to move their constituency offices from civic centres to leased spaces within their wards, increasing costs. Back in 2012, 27 councillors had constituency offices costing the city a total of $56,821. By 2015, those costs had increased to $223,185 for 33 offices.
How council salaries have gone up over the last 10 years:
*(CPI 2.6%, Councillors voted to freeze their salary in 2011)
