Council clout varies by borough
On average, men and councillors from north-central areas paid more
On Montreal city council, it pays to be from a north-central borough — and to be male.
Councillors in three north-central boroughs have more sway at Montreal city hall and, on average, men on city council earn 17 per cent more than women, according to a Montreal Gazette analysis of the 2015 salaries of elected officials.
Montreal councillors all start with the same base salary, but their pay is topped up if and when Mayor Denis Coderre appoints them to other posts, such as the executive committee, city commissions and Montreal’s transit commission.
The Gazette analysis shows:
Three north-central boroughs have the highest average salary because more of their elected officials have additional duties. Those boroughs are: Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Villeray—St-Michel—Park Extension and St-Laurent.
Twenty-five members of city council have salaries of more than $100,000. Six of them — just under one-quarter — are women.
Across the city, 58 per cent of municipal elected officials are men, compared to 42 per cent who are women.
On average, male officials make 17.3 per cent more than female ones. Average salary for a man: $77,493. For a woman: $66,063.
The city executive committee — the mayor and his cabinet — has 13 full members and eight associate members. Of those 21 people, 12 are men and nine are women. Of the nine women, five are in the junior, lower-paying, associate-member position.
In total, the city will pay elected officials $9.1 million in 2015 — $7.5 million, plus $1.6 million in expense allowances.
By law, the city must publish the annual salaries of elected officials.
But the data — published in fineprint newspaper ads and buried in PDFs and Excel files on the city’s website — are not easy to digest.
The Gazette analysis makes it easier to compare salaries and to visualize which parts of the city have the most influence on city council.
The city of Montreal has 103 elected officials:
One mayor (who is also mayor of the Ville-Marie borough) 18 borough mayors 46 city councillors 38 borough councillors
Maximum salaries and expense allowances are set out by the Quebec government:
Salary for Montreal mayor: $162,929
Base salary for Montreal city councillor: $52,887
Base salary for Montreal borough councillor: $30,556
The mayor and every councillor also receives an annual expense allowance of just under $16,000.
City councillors sit on both city council and borough council, as do borough mayors. Borough councillors, however, only sit on borough councils.
Compensation can add up if councillors are appointed to other positions.
For example, they get extra pay if they are on the executive committee and/or on the city’s finance, transport, public-security and other commissions. They also get more pay for roles they may have at the Société de transport de Montréal or on the agglomeration council, which brings together representatives of Montreal and Montreal Island suburbs.
Montreal’s mayor decides who sits on the executive committee, city commissions and the agglomeration council, with some input from opposition parties.
A Quebec law, the Act Respecting The Remuneration Of Elected Municipal Officers includes several rules regarding the amount by which salaries can be topped up.
For example, nobody on council can make more than 90 per cent of the mayor’s salary, which is why five officials make $146,636 — 89.99 per cent of Coderre’s salary. Those officials are Russell Copeman, Pierre Desrochers, Lionel Perez, Chantal Rouleau and Anie Samson.
Another example: A city councillor can’t make more than $101,783, if he or she does not sit on the executive committee and does not head a commission.
Boroughs have the power to increase salaries, as long as the total falls within the provincial guidelines.
For example, Côte-des-NeigesNotre-Dame-de-Grâce budgeted $22,800 in extra salary and benefits to Copeman — the borough’s mayor — in 2015. And boroughs such as LaSalle and Verdun top up the pay of borough councillors to bring them closer to those of city councillors.
The city of Montreal publishes an annual list of councillor salaries in newspapers. Those who know where to look can also find the information on the city’s website, where it is posted in PDF documents and Excel spreadsheets.
A city spokesperson said Montreal does not disclose how officials spend their expense allowance.
In fact, they do not track this spending because the law does not require councillors to submit receipts to justify the amount. They are expected to use this money to pay for travel to conferences, for example, said city spokesperson Jacques-Alain Lavallée.
Other expenses may also be reimbursed but only if pre-authorized by city council, according to the law. These expenses could include transportation costs or childcare required in order for the councillor to participate in council meeting, Lavallée said.
Some other Canadian cities are more proactive in disclosing council salaries and expenses.
In Toronto, for example, the city spells out councillors’ salaries and insurance and other benefits, as well as how much they spend on staff. It also discloses a detailed running tally of their general expenses and their travel expenses.