What could have been an opportunity for political leaders to take a stand regarding their own living wage has been left off the table and out of the discussion about council remuneration in advance of the October municipal election.
Since 2012, council has had a pay policy in place that has required review of the salaries elected officials make in the year prior to an election.
Manager of human resources Terese Rogers was in front of council in March to present the policy and the minor updates to it that administration could recommend.
“The policy requires council review and approve the council remuneration policy once per term in the year leading up to the election,” she said.
Rogers went over the update to the basic rate of pay for councillors and the mayor to reflect the 2017 rates of pay. That meant the salary in the policy was increased to reflect the Consumer Price Index for Calgary each year since the last election. It is the same cost of living increase that staff who work for the Town of Canmore receive each year, based on the previous year’s inflation rates.
“We are not recommending changes to this basic rate at this time,” Rogers said, adding it is in line with policies for council pay for similar communities in Alberta.
The policy sets out the basic salary for 2017 elected officials at $24,142 for councillors and $79,546 for the mayor. That rate covers up to four council meetings a month, informal meetings with senior staff and council, staff functions, informal meetings and presentations for council, independent work with residents, businesses and organizations, public workshops and open houses and social functions like Canada Day.
The mayor’s position is considered a full-time job, however, councillors are considered part time even though the time commitment can exceed 40 hours a week. To reflect the added work that councillors could take on through committees for example, per diems are also paid on eligible claims.
Per diem rates for 2017 are $100 or half a per diem for up to four hours of work, $200 or a full per diem for more than four hours but less than eight of work, and $300 or one and a half per diem for more than eight hours. Councillors cannot claim more than one or one and a half per diems per day and time calculated includes travel.
Councillors and the mayor are also eligible for the corporate benefits plan from the Town of Canmore.
With the election just seven months away, Councillor Ed Russell worried there wasn’t much time to change the pay rates – although the multi-term politician stopped short of actually proposing to change them himself.
“We are running short of daylight as far as processing this and we are facing the election wall,” he said. “If this comes forward at a future time it will be a massive crunch to revisit this.”
Russell pointed out there was a period of time before the 2012 polity that salary rates for council were not increased to reflect cost of living and that job descriptions for council have not been reviewed either.
“Perhaps it is something we should be considering,” he said.
Russell said he would support the policy approval motion, but said he suspects the issue will return to council.
The rates change in the policy, however, pointed out Coun. Sean Krausert, was not a pay increase, but actually reflects what council is currently earning as a salary.
Coun. Joanna McCallum took the opportunity to make an amendment to the policy that would acknowledge and provide expenses related to childcare and family care for future elected officials.
The successful motion, which only saw Coun. Vi Sandford vote against it, provided up to $2,000 for childcare or family care expenses.
“In recognition of the fact that we want to open the door for more kinds of citizens with skills and interests running for council to consider it, I am putting forward this modest amendment to allow for up to $2,000 per year of expenses to be reimbursed by the town,” said McCallum.
“I know there are municipalities that do it different and do more, but I think this is a great starting point for us.”
Sandford, in explaining her lack of support for the motion, said it is up to employees to provide their own childcare in the work force, so the same should apply to council.
“I have a hard time supporting this motion in the context of most people in the community that have a job provide their own childcare and very few organizations provide it for them.”
