Salaries of Gatineau elected officials on the rise

Aylmer Bulletin staff

Since the start of 2019, Gatineau councillors saw their salary increase by 12.57% while the mayor’s salary jumped 7.89%. This is in response to the federal government’s decision to tax expense allowances starting in 2019. Gatineau elected officials have a yearly allowance of $16,595.

As such, to maintain their buying power, the mayor’s salary of $143,040 has increased to $154,330 starting in 2019. A councillor’s base salary of $51,120 is now $57,660. The additional compensation elected officials receive when they sit on a committee also increased by 4.52 % for regular members, 9.04 % for committee and commission presidents, and 13.56 % for particular functions, such as deputy mayor.

The committee, the commission and the role one plays influences the compensation. For example, the president of the agricultural committee will see an extra $5,210 added to his or her base salary while a regular sitting member will see a $2,610 increase.

Outside the executive committee and council, the president and the vice-president of the advisory planning committee are the only positions that have higher compensation than other sitting committee-commission members; with the president making an extra $7,820 and the vice-president making $5,210.

For councillors, this is the second increase in less than three years. In 2017, their salary went from $38,310 to $50,120, but the extra compensation model for sitting on commissions-committees was revised downwards.

The bylaw for the 2019 increase is scheduled to pass at council on January 22, but the salary increase is retroactive starting January 1, 2019.