City councillors have voted to give themselves a 24 per cent pay raise.
Following a debate on Thursday evening, councillors voted 15-8 in favour of the recommendations put forth in a staff report which will see the salary of elected officials jump to $170,588 from $137,537.
According to the staff report, the increase will cost the city almost $1 million more in salaries and benefits in 2025.
Councillors Brad Bradford, Alejandra Bravo, Vincent Crisanti, Paula Fletcher, Stephen Holyday, Parthi Kandavel, Frances Nunziata, and Gord Perks all voted against the motion.
A motion by Coun. Holyday to keep salaries at their current level failed 18-5.
Mayor Olivia Chow, one of three members of council who were not present for the vote on Thursday night, said previously that the $33,000 raise was “too steep.”
Councillors argued their last salary increase was almost 20 years ago, adding that they were earning considerably less than councillors in neighbouring municipalities while serving significantly larger wards. The staff report found that on a per-constituent basis, Toronto city councillors were the lowest paid when compared to councillors in neighbouring jurisdictions such as Brampton, Mississauga, Markham and Vaughan.
“We deserve a raise,” Coun. Paula Fletcher said on Wednesday. “I’m not sure exactly how much, but sure, we do deserve a raise.”
Mayor Chow suggested the decision on whether or not to get a raise should be made by a third party and not councillors, calling it an irresponsible move given the affordability crisis affecting many Torontonians.
“I do think it’s pretty rich for the Mayor to come out and lecture council, given all of the tax hikes she’s subjected Torontonians to, and not everybody has access to three government-funded pensions,” said Coun. Brad Bradford ahead of Thursday’s vote.
The union representing almost 30,000 city workers says while councillors deserve fair compensation, they called on elected members to recognize that the same applies to the unionized workers who keep Toronto running.
“While the most recent round of negotiations secured better outcomes for front-line workers, no one received a raise anywhere near 24%. The average hourly wage of a Local 79 member working for the City is approximately $36 an hour,” CUPE Local 79 said in a statement ahead of Thursday’s vote.
Councillors ratified a new four-year contract with the city’s workers on Wednesday that will see them receive annual wage increases between three and almost four per cent through 2028.
