Calgary councillors vote to freeze their pay for next year

Calgary city council pay will remain the same next year.

Council voted unanimously on Monday evening in favour of recommendations brought forward by the compensation review committee, which is made up of citizen volunteers.

Due to unprecedented circumstances brought on by the pandemic, the committee said Alberta average weekly earning calculations normally used to determine pay adjustments for council are skewed so there should be no salary adjustments next year.

The committee also recommended that councillors be able to receive workers' compensation benefits coverage, the supplemental pension available to councillorsshould be removed, and that if a councillor leaves voluntarily, their transition allowance be capped at two weeks per year of service to a maximum of 26 weeks.

All councillors receive a pension, but they were also eligible for a supplementalpension to cover any earnings above Revenue Canada's maximum a criteria only the mayor's salary met.

Councillors currently earn a base pay of$113,325 per year, and the mayor earns$200,586 per year.

Coun. Jeromy Farkasquestioned why the committee hadn't recommended a pay decrease, given the economic situation, but the committee members said that compared to other major Canadian cities, Calgary's council members have seen fewer increases and more cuts in recent years.

Council also voted 12-2 in favour of a bylaw to explore the idea of providing long-term disability insurance to councillors, with Councillors Peter Demong and Diane Colley-Urquhart voting against.