Georgina's CAO salary increases 40% over past 5 years
Salary justified to retain 'qualified individuals,' Georgina mayor says

YorkRegion.com
April 10, 2018
Heidi Riedner

It came as no surprise Georgina’s CAO Winanne Grant was the top wage earner out of the 57 town employees on the province’s Sunshine List for 2017, but many residents were left scratching their heads over what amounted to a 40-per-cent wage increase over four years for the position.

Of all the CAO positions on the list released last month, Georgina's salary of $207,463 was well above the provincial average of $167,750.

Hired in November 2011, Grant's salary of $145,923 in 2012 went to $156,847 in 2013, $172,095 in 2014, $181,154  in 2015, $190,529 in 2016 and $207,463 in 2017.

Within a context of 2-per cent inflation, average CUPE raises of 2 per cent per year and wage increases hovering around 4 per cent per year, negotiated under the last contract with the Georgina Professional Firefighters Association, the CAO’s percentage increases between 2012 and 2017 equate to 7.5, 9.7, 5.3, 5.2 and 8.9.

All are above the average wage increase of 4.6 per cent for the position of CAO across the province in 2016, which includes university, hospital and public utility CAOs in addition to municipalities.

Georgina Mayor Margaret Quirk said the CAO’s employment agreement is negotiated separately and  independently of other town negotiations, with increases based on recommendations resulting from CAO salary survey data.

In 2017, a consultant conducted a market review for the town, including an analysis of council and CAO compensation based on 15 council-approved comparator municipalities including Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Innisfil, Bradford West-Gwillimbury and Whitchurch-Stouffville.

While the results don’t address the wage increases between 2012 and 2016, Quirk said the CAO’s employment agreement inked with the former term of council was renegotiated and amended in 2017, based on the analysis and recommendations from the base salary survey data.

The 8.9-per cent wage increase from 2016 to 2017 can be attributed to the market review, with the CAO’s amended employment agreement coming into effect Jan. 1, 2017.

“Like most municipalities, Georgina wants to ensure we are competitive in the workforce when it comes to attracting and retaining qualified individuals,” Quirk said, adding market reviews are a common practice for municipalities, allowing them to better position themselves as a desired employer.