There are more calls for caps on the salaries of local politicians, after Global News reported some of their earnings.
Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie took home nearly $400,000 last year.
Municipal Affairs critic Tony Luck said, “I definitely support the provincial government coming and supporting caps. It’s long overdue and it needs to be done for bringing fairness and equity and transparency for the citizens.”
Including stipends and expenses, Brodie received $244,000 from Richmond, $64,000 from Metro Vancouver, about $40,000 from TransLink, $24,000 from the South Coast Transportation Authority and $28,000 from the Municipal Finance Authority – totaling $397,482.
New Westminster Councillor Daniel Fontaine consolidated the numbers, noting Brodie is “making far in excess of a B.C. cabinet minister, in fact, he’s making almost as much as the President of the United States.”
Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley took home $377,560. Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West’s compensation totaled $376,233 and Delta Mayor George Harvie made $317,401. Those figures include payments from boards, stipends and expenses.
When Global News asked Brodie if he is paid too much, he wouldn’t say.
He responded, in part, “Levels of remuneration will be addressed by Metro Vancouver’s new Governance Committee…”
A Deloitte report for Metro Vancouver has recommended that the province legislate a maximum remuneration threshold for total income from all local government-related appointments.
The province says it will await completion of a governance review at Metro Vancouver and plans to be involved.
Municipal Affairs Minister Ravi Kahlon said, “We actually are likely going to put somebody on the governance review to make sure we’re keeping an eye on what’s happening and we’ll see what comes from that discussion, but clearly something needs to happen.”
The province says it hopes to see changes this fall, and supports calls for transparency on politicians’ earnings. For now, there’s no indication this will be provincially mandated.