Regional council cost taxpayers $1.8M
Chair Jim Bradley received a salary, benefits and claimed expenses totalling $184,467
Add up pay, benefits and expenses, and Niagara Region councillors cost taxpayers just shy of $1.8 million last year.
Topping the list is Chair Jim Bradley, who received a compensation package of $184,467 in 2023, including $156,723 in salary, $4,456 in benefits and a $20,266 car allowance.
Pay for each councillor was $40,471, with committee chairs receiving an additional $2,000.
West Lincoln Coun. Albert Witteveen, who heads the municipality’s public works committee, received the most councillor compensation, with pay, benefits and expenses adding up to $64,156. His expense claims of $6,162 included reimbursement for representing the Region’s interests at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference in downtown Toronto.
The Region pays benefits for all 31 councillors, which vary from $9,571 to $3,444 depending on circumstances such as their age and number of dependents. The benefits include Canada Pension Plan, the provincial health tax, Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System and insurance (life, accidental death and disability, health, dental and travel).
Councillors can file mileage claims for trips to and from regional headquarters in Thorold, which often elevates expenses for councillors representing outlying municipalities such as Fort Erie and Grimsby.
The 20 most expensive claims last year were for conference attendance. The Region reimburses councillors for accommodations, travel and registration fees, the biggest of which were $1,007 to attend the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) conference in Toronto and $834 for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in London, Ont.
Lincoln Coun. Rob Foster received the second most compensation from taxpayers at $63,914, while Pelham Coun. Diana Huson was third with $61,731. Foster is an AMO board member and Huson for FCM. Their respective expense claims were $3,719 and $8,807.
Neither AMO nor FCM offers remuneration, and expenses for board members are processed through their home municipalities.
Bradley said the cost associated with maintaining a seat at these forums is money well spent.
“As a region, it is crucial that we have strong representation on key advocacy boards such as AMO and FCM,” he said. “Our current representatives, Couns. Huson and Foster, are doing an exceptional job ensuring that Niagara has a voice at these important tables.
“These memberships bring a return on investment and enable us to advocate for our region’s priorities and access valuable resources and funding opportunities,” Bradley said.
“It is important to remember that if the Niagara Region is not at the table, there are any number of other municipalities who would be more than happy to take our spot.”
Foster and Huson are also Region committee chairs, with Foster heading corporate services and Huson planning and economic development.
Welland Coun. Pat Chiocchio, cochair of the public health and social services committee, received $60,091. His expense claims of $4,558.50 were limited to attending conferences.
At the other end of the scale, St. Catharines Coun. Dave Rigby was a bargain at $45,135.
St. Catharines Coun. Brian Heit was next at $45,274 followed by Niagara Falls Coun. Kim Craitor at $45,426 and Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop at $45,909.
Seven council members — Redekop, Niagara Falls Coun. Bob Gale, Fort Erie Coun. Tom Insinna, Pelham Mayor Marv Junkin, St. Catharines Coun. Peter Secord, Welland Coun. Leanna Villella, Niagara-onthe-Lake Mayor Gary Zalepa — did not claim expenses in 2023.
The Region posts the detailed expense claims for each councillor online as part of its Open Niagara data set.
Councillors tightened rules for councillor claims in 2019 after a series of expense scandals during the 2014-18 term.
In one instance, a councillor claimed 15,900 kilometres in annual mileage, more than half for trips to Newstalk 1010 in Toronto, where discussions of council business were negligible.
Others included a councillor who claimed $44,500 in legal expenses related to integrity commissioner reports and a court case that arose from them, and a group of councillors who billed taxpayers for flyers that were thinly disguised campaign advertisements in the months before the term ended.
Foster had chaired the corporate services committee that recommended the changes, such as limiting travel for regional business to official functions and making legal costs for complaints under the code of conduct ineligible.
The bylaw that deals with expenses now also specifies the regional clerk and chief administrative officer have final approval over claims. If they cannot determine if an expense is legitimate, the claim is sent to the Region’s audit committee for a decision.
“We wanted to do accomplish a few things,” Foster said. “We wanted to make easier for people to understand what’s going on with councillors’ expenses. I think, all in all, the policy seems to have been working.”
Councillors tightened rules for councillor claims in 2019 after a series of expense scandals during the 2014-18 term.