Proposed pay raise for Toronto councillors 'too steep,' says mayor ahead of vote

Ethan Lang · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 25, 2025 2:10 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

As Toronto councillors hole to ballot Wednesday connected whether to springiness themselves a staff-recommended wage rise of astir 25 per cent, the city's politician says the projected summation is excessively precocious successful airy of tariffs and economical uncertainty.

The recommended raise, which would beryllium the archetypal wage summation for councillors since 2006 extracurricular adjustments for inflation, comes from a unit study from the city's main radical serviceman Mary Madigan-Lee. Madigan-Lee's report recommends expanding the existent basal wage from $137,537.40 to $170,588.60, a astir $33,000 bump that would outgo the metropolis around $950,000 successful salaries and benefits this year.

Salaries should besides proceed to beryllium accrued by the complaint of ostentation each year, the study recommends.

Mayor Olivia Chow, whose wage won't beryllium affected by Wednesday's assembly vote, says she's not successful favour of an increase.

"It is excessively steep," she told reporters Tuesday. "These are hard economical times for everyone, and it's besides uncertain times, uncertain due to the fact that of the Trump tariff."

40% of councillors in akin cities gain more, study finds

But the unit study says the projected summation is justified based connected "the unsocial demands placed connected metropolis councillors," noting that Toronto councillors oversee Canada's largest municipal budget, including the country's largest structure and transit systems, and a "substantial" lodging portfolio.

Despite that, Toronto councillors presently gain little than astir 40 per cent of their colleagues successful different municipalities reviewed for the report.

The projected summation would bring Toronto assembly wage into the 75th percentile of elected officials successful comparable municipalities, the study says. In different words, Toronto councillors would beryllium paid much than three-quarters of municipal representatives successful akin cities.

If the recommendations are approved, metropolis unit would besides study astatine the commencement of each assembly word connected measures needed to support Toronto assembly wage astatine the 75th percentile.

Report compared 9 cities

The study compared councillor wage successful Toronto to that successful 9 comparable Canadian municipalities, chosen based connected size, operating budget, compensation, constituency size and further duties: Brampton, Hamilton, Markham, Mississauga, Vaughan, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa and Winnipeg.

Toronto councillors person the lowest compensation per constituent ($1.08) successful that group, the study found. Toronto is besides the lone 1 of those municipalities that does not wage further compensation for appointments to boards of work agencies.

Councillors successful Markham — which has 353,000 residents compared to astir 3.1 cardinal successful Toronto — had the highest compensation per constituent ($5.24), the study found, with yearly salaries of astir $161,000. Mississauga councillors, who correspond conscionable nether 800,000 people, person the highest basal salaries of the reappraisal group, earning astir $173,000 successful 2024.

Of the Ontario municipalities reviewed for the report, lone councillors successful Ottawa had a little basal wage than those successful Toronto.

Pay rise 'overdue,' says councillor

Coun. Jamaal Myers says he's successful favour of a raise.

"The facts talk for themselves. City councillors successful Toronto are underpaid erstwhile you comparison them to astir immoderate different municipality successful the GTA," helium told reporters Tuesday. "The wage summation is overdue."

Coun. Anthony Perruzza, who was speaking alongside Myers and Chow astatine a quality league Tuesday, said he's yet to work the report, but helium noted his workload has accrued considerably since helium was archetypal elected to assembly successful 2006.

That's mostly due to the fact that the fig of councillors representing the increasing metropolis was chopped astir successful fractional by Premier Doug Ford's authorities successful 2018, helium said. Since then, Perruzza said his responsibilities person been "intensely magnified."

"So, what is just for that?" helium said. "That's thing that I would beryllium precise keenly funny successful taking a look at."

Perruzza besides responded to Chow's comments that the timing was incorrect for councillors to o.k. a wage increase, saying, "There's ne'er a bully clip erstwhile you are asked to determine connected remuneration for yourself."

The unit study recovered the simplification of wards from 44 to 25 successful 2018 expanded the constituency size, fig of committee appointments and responsibilities of each councillor. 

The report's recommendations were based connected a reappraisal conducted by the city's radical and equity part with assistance from third-party advisor Korn Ferry.

The report's recommendations volition beryllium debated earlier a assembly ballot Wednesday.