Vancouver party calls for compensation caps for local politicians

Salaries for municipal politicians have been making headlines after some committee duties saw a handful of elected leaders earning more than the premier.

VANCOUVER, B.C. - A civic party in Vancouver is calling for caps on local politicians’ compensation – after some municipal leaders made headlines for earning more than B.C. Premier David Eby, once Metro Vancouver committee duties are factored in.

TEAM for a Livable Vancouver is proposing the caps ahead of the city’s byelection.

“Municipal politicians should not be making bigger salaries than the premier,” candidate Colleen Hardwick told CTV News on Wednesday.

That was echoed by a fellow TEAM candidate who can’t wrap his head around just how much some politicians are taking home.

“We’re seeing some of these politicians sitting on Metro able to add huge amounts to their salaries, and I just don’t know that they’re working enough to justify that increase in salary,” said candidate Theodore Abbott.

But Metro Vancouver board chair Mike Hurley feels the comparison with the premier’s pay isn’t a fair one.

“If we’re going to compare to the premier, let’s compare to total compensation and use his expenses and all his other benefits that he gets as well, including pension,” Hurley told CTV News in an interview. “There’s a bit of unfairness going on there. Not to say compensation doesn’t have to be looked at. It does.”

Hurley went on to stress there’s a lot of work that goes into committee work beyond actually attending the meetings.

“If you’re coming to a Metro Van board meeting on a Monday night, prior to the meeting, you get a 900 to 1,200 page report that you have to work your way through,” Hurley said. “So before you even get to the board… if you’re doing your job, you’ve put in a full day’s preparation.”

The province is watching the situation closely.

“I know that it can be sometimes frustrating for folks,” Municipal Affairs Minister Ravi Kahlon told CTV News on Wednesday. “We want to make sure people are compensated for additional work that they’re doing. But it needs to be done in a fair way.”

Hurley insists he’s listening to the public’s concern on this issue – with the regional body conducting a governance review.