Toronto city councillors vote to give themselves a roughly $33K pay raise

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 27, 2025 8:54 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Toronto metropolis councillors person voted to springiness themselves a staff-recommended wage rise of astir 25 per cent.

At their gathering connected Thursday, councillors voted 15-8 with 3 abstentions to summation their existent basal wage from $137,537.40 to $170,588.60, a astir $33,000 bump that would outgo the metropolis astir $957,000 successful salaries and benefits this year.

The raise, the archetypal wage summation for councillors since 2006 extracurricular adjustments for inflation, follows a unit study from the city's main radical serviceman Mary Madigan-Lee this year.

Mayor Olivia Chow, whose wage won't beryllium affected by the assembly vote, said earlier this week that she was not successful favour of an increase.

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

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

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.

Pay summation not appropriate, councillor says

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

Coun. Stephen Holyday, who represents Etobicoke Centre, said helium opposed the wage summation due to the fact that helium doesn't deliberation it's appropriate.

"I conscionable judge that, if we bash this, it further erodes people's assurance successful government. And I don't deliberation we should bash it," Holyday said.

Coun. Chris Moise, who represents Toronto Centre, said helium supports the wage raise.

"This occupation I bash is 7 days a week, 24/7," helium said. "I don't deliberation this wage that is being requested present is unreasonable. I really deliberation it's rather reasonable."