Despite pushback from some of their colleagues, city councillors in London, Ont., have approved a small pay raise for themselves that’s tied to a pre-existing policy.
The policy was put forward in a 2016 report from the Council Compensation Review Task Force and sees council salaries adjusted annually on a percentage tied to one of two markers of inflation: the labour index or the consumer price index, depending on which index has a smaller increase.
By the end of December 2020, Ontario’s labour index had increased to 2.7 per cent, meaning a potential councillor raise would be tied to the consumer price index’s smaller increase of 0.7 per cent.
This amounts to a $367 raise for councillors and a $988 raise for the mayor at a cost of about $7,800 for the city.
During Tuesday’s meeting of council, Ward 5 Coun. Maureen Cassidy argued against approving the raise, telling her colleagues it wasn’t appropriate to accept a wage bump during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“There are people in our community who have lost their businesses, there are people in our community who have lost their jobs, there are people in our community who are waiting to go back to work, but with the current lockdown, they cannot,” Cassidy said.
“I think we need to stand in solidarity with the people in our community who are suffering.”
This sentiment was echoed by Ward 9 Coun. Anna Hopkins, who said denying the raise could show “compassion or companionship with Londoners and what they’re experiencing.”
Ward 10 Coun. Paul Van Meergbergen added that denying the raise is “largely symbolic, but symbols are important, especially right now.”
Ward 11 Coun. Stephen Turner stood by the policy and argued that linking raises to economic indicators is “the best way to take it out of our hands.”
“Anything that we do with our compensation will be self-serving … let’s follow the recommendations,” Turner said.
Ward 2 Coun. Shawn Lewis agreed that the optics of the matter are bad, but “by having this as part of an independent group and then following through on their recommendations rather than ignoring them is the best way to go.”
However, Ward 4 Coun. Jesse Helmer noted that city council hasn’t always followed the policy in previous years, including in 2020.
“Last year … we were in a very bad financial situation and definitely restraint was needed,” Helmer said. “I’m less concerned now … but I do think it’s still a very bad situation and it’s just not the time to be increasing the wages.”
The pay raise was approved by a vote of 8-6, with Ward 3 Coun. Mo Salih absent.
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