A growing list of Metro Vancouver mayors and city councillors are being paid thousands of dollars over and above their annual municipal salaries from TransLink and Metro Vancouver, but a lack of transparency means local taxpayers have no idea what their total salaries, benefits, travel, and board appointments come to.
The reality is that a mayor’s or councillor’s salary gets a major boost when they are on the Metro or TransLink boards and committees, including the regional mayors council. It turns out that being elected and getting a city salary is just the start of some very lucrative appointments. But taxpayers who are footing all the bills, have no idea what the totals are for their mayor or city councillors.
A review of 2023 expense claims and compensation for a sampling of 15 elected officials in a number of Metro Vancouver cities reveals:
- Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley was paid $393,075 in base pay, per diems, benefits and expenses from the City of Burnaby, TransLink and Metro Vancouver. This was prior to his new annual payment of $109,337 for becoming the Chair of Metro Vancouver in 2024.
- John McEwan, Mayor of Anmore, with a population of just 2,400, collected $189,466 in base pay, per diems, benefits and expenses from the Village of Anmore, TransLink and Metro Vancouver.
- Electoral Area A representative Jen McCutcheon claimed $93,878 for her board role on Metro Vancouver and TransLink, including $72,701 from Metro Vancouver alone.
- Burnaby City Councillor Pietro Calendino was paid $160,551 in base pay and Metro Vancouver meeting stipends that totaled $38,955.
Click here for an excel spreadsheet with a breakdown of the payments to 15 elected officials
Click here for access to the source documents (statement of financial information)
What this regional pay and benefits analysis reveals is the need for more openness and transparency when it comes to how much civic officials are charging taxpayers and transit users. The public shouldn’t have to pour through dozens of financial statements to stitch all of this information together on a single spreadsheet.
The fact is a growing number of local municipal politicians are being paid thousands of extra dollars over and above their city salaries, and that will come as a surprise to a lot of municipal voters. In fact many Metro Vancouver mayors and councillors are earning more than the Premier, which seems absolutely ridiculous. It turns out that these lucrative municipal board appointments have made being a mayor or councillor an incredibly well-paid job, much to the surprise of their local taxpayers who are footing the bill.
I’m calling upon the Province of BC to amend provincial legislation to ensure a single financial reporting mechanism for Metro Vancouver, TransLink and the our region’s 21 municipalities. This would result in one public report detailing what every elected civic official is costing taxpayers on an annual basis.
It turns out a mayor or councillor salary is just the start these days, and the tip of a very expensive iceberg. For instance, I doubt that local taxpayers in Metro Vancouver know that their mayor collects a significant sum for sitting on the TransLink Mayors Council.
Most people I’ve spoken to assumed that if you are a mayor that it’s just part of your job to be on the Mayors Council. People were genuinely surprised that they had to pay their mayor extra. Even more astounding is the fact that mayors are paid extra to be on the TransLink Board, and more again to be on the Mayors Council.
Frankly, taxpayers look at all of this and feel like ATM machines for municipal politicians. The whole thing needs transparency and leadership, but taxpayers aren’t holding out much hope on that front.
