CANMORE – The Town of Canmore plans to create an independent committee to review council pay.
The committee, if the terms of reference are approved by council, is intended to begin recruitment before the Town’s annual organizational meeting in the fall.
While any review of council remuneration doesn’t necessarily mean a pay increase would happen, it does take the process out of council’s hands – always a divisive issue for some residents – and into an independent group of residents.
Coun. Tanya Foubert, who brought the motion forward, said the committee could take the process from the political forum and possibly result in more fair pay for the amount of work the job entails.
She said in her previous career as a journalist with the Outlook, it became a political issue and the committee would “take the politics out of [the discussion].”
“It struck me at the time we didn’t have an independent thorough review that provided us with information because what we get paid does become political. If we give ourselves raises, that is a political decision that we make,” she said.
According to a report to council, the last three terms of council have seen Town staff review council pay in the final year of each council term from similar municipalities. Town staff use the same method outlined in the employee pay policy to apply the market and salary review.
If approved by council, the committee would give recommendations in 2024 for the 2025-26 budget deliberations, but any potential changes wouldn’t begin until the next council takes office in 2026.
Coun. Jeff Mah said the low council pay in a community with a high cost of living makes running for office a “luxury and a privilege and that’s not right.”
“I think setting something like this helps with the optics,” he said, noting the framework creates a process as the community grows and council’s role may shift.
The mayor earns $101,388 of base pay each year, while councillors collect $28,772, according to council’s remuneration policy. The basic rate entails up to four council meetings a month, a maximum of 16 hours of work for attending meetings, and additional meetings with Town staff and the CAO – who is council’s only employee – and other events such as open houses, social events and conferences.
Council members are able to claim per diems for workshops, meetings, committees, commissions, boards, conferences and educational courses. The per diem rate is $125 for up to four hours, $225 for between four and eight hours and $350 for more than eight hours of work. They are also eligible to claim accommodation, meals and some transportation costs. A council member also receives benefits through the Town.
The Town of Banff has a similar three-person committee known as the public council compensation review committee. It has no council representation on it, serves as an independent body and looks at comparable municipalities in making recommendations on pay for elected officials.
The City of Calgary began its own remuneration committee in 2005, while the cities of St. Albert and Grande Prairie and Town of Stony Plain have similar committees.
The Canmore mayor’s position is seven days a week and frequently includes travel, conferences, and meetings that include advocating at the local, provincial and national levels of government. The role is the lone full-time position for council, while the remaining six councillors are intended to be part-time.
A report to council stated “fair compensation for elected officials leads to a healthier democracy,” and could increase the representation and diversity of council.
Coun. Wade Graham said council pay was an issue he campaigned on, having heard from several people who wished to run but were unable to due to the low pay.
Mayor Sean Krausert echoed Graham’s comments, adding “people should be elected because they get the most votes and not because they were some of the few who could afford to run.”
Coun. Joanna McCallum, now in her fourth term and who said she won’t be running for council again, said creating a livable income for politicians is important to potentially have better representation from the community.
“I really want people to have the opportunity to imagine themselves representing their neighbours and friends and co-citizens in their own community,” she said. “As hard as the job is, it is so incredibly rewarding. … You need to make sure it’s not only one type of person who comes up here.”
