Board facing criticism from public and within over raises
Metro Vancouver’s board is facing criticism, both from the public and from within, for the process by which it introduced pay raises and retirement benefits for directors.
The controversial changes to the remuneration bylaw were voted on at a March 23 board of directors meeting and, following public outcry, will be reconsidered at the next meeting, at the end of April.
“The public’s business has to be done in public,” said West Vancouver Mayor Michael Smith, a Metro director who wasn’t present for the vote.
The 15-per-cent pay raise was done to offset tax changes to elected official salaries that will come into effect Jan. 1, 2019. The adjustment will result in a one-time budget increase of $131,333.
The retirement allowance will see directors receive a lump-sum payment when they cease to be an elected official. The allowance will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2007.
Last week, board chair Greg Moore confirmed that the initial remuneration discussions took place in an in-camera meeting of the finance and intergovernmental committee on March 16.
Don Bradley, a spokesman for Metro, said the appropriate public process took place, and discussions about remuneration took place in camera because they qualified as labour or employee relations under the Community Charter.
“From our perspective, the very foundation for an effective democracy is being open and transparent, and that’s why the majority of our meetings and business deliberations are conducted in open,” Bradley said. “However, there are certain topics that absolutely cannot be deliberated in open … and that includes matters related to employee and labour relations.”
Even though elected officials aren’t actual employees of Metro, they’re treated as such in certain situations, including when it comes to payroll and remuneration, Bradley said.
“What is the legislative authority for that? Where do they get the power to pick and choose …?” asked Nathalie Baker, a Vancouver lawyer who specializes in municipal law.
In the past, board remuneration has been debated in a closed meeting and then made public for decision at a board meeting. The procedure with the pay raise and retirement allowance was no different.
Whether remuneration for elected officials can or should be discussed in camera are separate matters, said Gordon Price, former Vancouver city councillor and current fellow at Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue. While it appears to be allowed under the Community Charter, the optics can be problematic, Price said.