West Nipissing council to get immediate boost to yearly salaries

Erika Chorostil · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 23, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 21 minutes ago

West Nipissing assembly voted connected a 27 per cent wage increase, for the archetypal clip successful implicit 20 years.

In a choky vote, assembly agreed to the wage increase at its meeting connected April 15.

The determination comes 2 years aft West Nipissing archetypal projected looking into assembly compensation. Council hired a advisor to behaviour a third-party compensation review, which looked astatine 18 akin municipalities and their assembly salaries, and past marque suggestions to West Nipissing council based connected the findings.

It was recommended assembly summation salaries to the 50th percentile of comparable municipal salaries, effectual immediately. The 50th percentile amounts to a 27 per cent wage summation for West Nipissing council.

A councillor's yearly salary is going from $17,748 to $22,532, portion the mayor's wage volition summation from $35,482 a twelvemonth to $44,877.

"It is decidedly worthy it due to the fact that I've seen months that I had to instrumentality immoderate of my dollars to spell and bash the occupation to bash it properly," said Councillor Rolly Larabie, successful enactment of the motion. 

"And truthful this is decidedly warranted and I'm each for moving guardant with this." 

Larabie noted determination were concerns from radical astir the wage summation being truthful high, and suggested wage reviews beryllium done each fewer years to debar ample increases successful the future.

Councillor Jamie Restoule pointed retired that determination was misinformation circulating online astir the wage increases. He noted a compensation reappraisal has ne'er been done before, and said assembly took due steps by conducting the autarkic reappraisal erstwhile deciding however to proceed with the delicate topic.

"Council isn't proposing their ain rise here," said Restoule. 

"We did this, I judge successful the close way. We didn't beryllium astir and say, 'let's springiness ourselves a raise' and this is what we want."

Mayor Kathleen Thorne Rochon besides reminded councillors that the taxable had been discussed for implicit 2 years, and projected increases to salaries were approved successful the 2025 budget.

Not each councillors were successful favour of implementing the wage summation immediately, arsenic recommended, with immoderate suggesting it should instrumentality effect successful the adjacent assembly word successful 2026 and beryllium brought successful gradually implicit the adjacent fewer years.

"Is determination an summation that is warranted? Absolutely. I don't judge it should beryllium now. We should marque that determination and it comes into effect astatine the adjacent assembly and they tin person that starting point," argued Councillor Roche St-Louis.

"But I deliberation increments and babe steps arsenic opposed to a 50th percentile is what would beryllium best."

Two motions to hold the wage increases until adjacent assembly word were enactment guardant but defeated.

In a recorded vote, assembly yet voted 5 to 4 successful favour of implementing the wage boosts immediately.