How Municipal Compensation Works in Ontario
Who sets council pay?
Each municipality sets the remuneration for its own mayor and councillors by by-law, usually after a review by staff or an independent committee that compares pay in municipalities of similar size. Council votes on it in public, and the by-law is a public document.
Every municipality must also publish an annual statement of the remuneration and expenses paid to each member of council. It is one of the most direct accountability documents a municipality produces, and one of the least read.
What the Sunshine List is
Ontario’s Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act requires organizations that receive public funding — municipalities, hospitals, school boards, universities, and many funded agencies — to publish the name, position, salary, and taxable benefits of every employee paid $100,000 or more in a calendar year. The list is released each March by the Government of Ontario.
Two things are worth knowing about it. The $100,000 threshold has never been indexed to inflation since the Act took effect in 1996, so the list has grown to include many roles it was not originally aimed at. And it covers employees — elected officials appear only if their municipal remuneration crosses the threshold, which for most Ontario councils it does not.
Why part-time pay shapes who can serve
Most Ontario municipal offices are compensated as part-time roles. That keeps costs down and is meant to draw candidates from working life. It also means that, in practice, the people who can serve are those whose other work allows it — which quietly narrows the field.
As a municipality grows, the workload attached to the head of council grows with it: more capital projects, larger budgets, more outside boards and regional bodies. At some point the part-time structure and the actual job stop matching.
Where to find the numbers
Lakeshore’s council remuneration by-law and its annual remuneration and expenses statement are available through the municipality. The provincial Sunshine List is published annually on the Government of Ontario website. Both are free and open to anyone.
Sam is running to serve Lakeshore full-time, with no competing role, and supports publishing council remuneration and expenses somewhere residents can actually find them. Read more on why Lakeshore deserves a full-time mayor. (Campaign position.)
Sources: Ontario Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act, 1996, S.O. 1996, c. 1, Sched. A; Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 25, s. 284 (annual statement of remuneration and expenses).