Caps on salaries of Metro Vancouver politicians is ‘long overdue' critics say
Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie took home nearly $400,000 last year.
Municipal Affairs critic Tony Luck said, 'I definitely support the provincial government coming and supporting caps. It's long overdue and it needs to be done for bringing fairness and equity and transparency for the citizens.'
Including stipends and expenses, Brodie received $244,000 from Richmond, $64,000 from Metro Vancouver, about $40,000 from TransLink, $24,000 from the South Coast Transportation Authority and $28,000 from the Municipal Finance Authority – totaling $397,482.
New Westminster Councillor Daniel Fontaine consolidated the numbers, noting Brodie is 'making far in excess of a B.C. cabinet minister, in fact, he's making almost as much as the President of the United States.'
Story continues below advertisement
2:16
Metro mayors pull in big paycheques in 2024
Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley took home $377,560. Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West's compensation totaled $376,233 and Delta Mayor George Harvie made $317,401. Those figures include payments from boards, stipends and expenses.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
When Global News asked Brodie if he is paid too much, he wouldn't say.
He responded, in part, 'Levels of remuneration will be addressed by Metro Vancouver's new Governance Committee…'
A Deloitte report for Metro Vancouver has recommended that the province legislate a maximum remuneration threshold for total income from all local government-related appointments.
The province says it will await completion of a governance review at Metro Vancouver and plans to be involved.
Municipal Affairs Minister Ravi Kahlon said, 'We actually are likely going to put somebody on the governance review to make sure we're keeping an eye on what's happening and we'll see what comes from that discussion, but clearly something needs to happen.'
Story continues below advertisement
The province says it hopes to see changes this fall, and supports calls for transparency on politicians' earnings. For now, there's no indication this will be provincially mandated.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
4 hours ago
- Global News
Kelowna homeowner out $66K after strata repairs fell through
Susan Hisch grips a makeshift balcony railing made of 2-by-4s. As she gives it a shake, it wobbles noticeably. 'This isn't safe,' she said. In 2021, Hisch, like every other homeowner at Burtch Estates in Kelowna, B.C., was told she needed to pay a special levy of $66,000. The funds were supposed to go toward a full envelope restoration of the aging building — a major construction project intended to upgrade the exterior, fix balconies, and improve safety. Hisch paid her share, but three years later, much of the work remains unfinished. 'Each owner had to come up with that money to redo the full envelope of the building,' she said. 'And still — nothing's done.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Hisch says that while many residents paid the levy to the strata, progress stalled a year after construction began. The contractor, Team Construction, walked off the job. Then, she says, their strata management company, Lifestyles, also abandoned the project. Story continues below advertisement 'Here we are, stuck with nothing done,' Hisch said. 'The siding wasn't finished. The balconies weren't done. Winter was coming.' Team Construction told Global News they were forced to stop work after the strata council and their consultant, GTA, allegedly stopped making payments. In a statement, the company said, 'We filed a lien, initiating a two-year dispute that resulted in the Strata Council finally accepting responsibility. It's unfortunate the membership wasn't kept informed.' Now, Hisch's home is surrounded by signs of incomplete work: cracked balcony foundations, temporary wood supports in place of real railings, a second balcony without a railing, and siding that was never installed. The situation hasn't just affected Hisch's safety, it's changed her quality of life. 'Balconies are our outdoor living space. And we haven't been able to go out there,' she said 'I haven't had company over. I've been working seven days a week just to pay off that $66,000.' In a phone call with Global News, the strata said construction could restart — if owners vote in favour of continuing the project. But Hisch isn't optimistic. 'I call it a stalling tactic,' she said. 'I'd like to be a glass-half-full kind of person, but at this point, I no longer have faith.' For now, Hisch is left with no railing, no repairs and no end in sight.
Global News
6 hours ago
- Global News
Federal Minister planning to table First Nations water bill despite opposition from Alberta and Ontario
The federal minister of Indigenous services says her government plans to reintroduce legislation to ensure First Nations' rights to clean drinking water — despite calls from Alberta and Ontario for it to scrap the bill altogether. Two provincial environment ministers sent a letter to their federal counterpart this week calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney's government to abandon legislation they see as undermining competitiveness and delaying project development. 'Prime Minister Mark Carney has made a commitment to do things differently,' Alberta's Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz and her Ontario counterpart Todd McCarthy wrote in a June 30 letter to federal Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin. 'We are hopeful that this new federal government will move away from policies and legislation that undermine competitiveness, delay project development and disproportionately harm specific provinces and territories without any quantifiable benefits to the natural environment.' One of the bills they singled out is C-61, legislation introduced in the last Parliament that sought to ensure First Nations have access to clean drinking water and can protect fresh water sources on their territories. Story continues below advertisement 1:59 Progress slow on Alberta First Nation's water crisis That bill faced a lengthy committee process but was not passed into law before Parliament was prorogued. In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty said everyone in Canada should have access to clean water. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'That's why our new government has committed to introduce and pass legislation that affirms First Nations have a human right to clean drinking water. To be clear, we intend to introduce this legislation this fall to advance this important commitment,' said Livi McElrea. 'Provinces, territories, and the federal government have a shared responsibility of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples … We call on all parliamentarians, provinces, and territories to support this critical legislation to ensure that First Nations have access to clean drinking water.' View image in full screen A woman carries water jugs on the Neskantaga First Nation, in Ontario on Sept. 13, 2021. The Neskantaga First Nation hasn't had clean drinking water for over 30 years. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward The Liberals under former prime minister Justin Trudeau vowed to end all long-term boil water advisories by 2021 — a self-imposed deadline they failed to meet. Story continues below advertisement Indigenous Services Canada data shows 37 long-term drinking water advisories are still in place across the country — most of them in Ontario. The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations has been vocal in her desire for the bill to be reintroduced, saying after the election parliamentarians will be playing 'political games' with the lives of First Nations children if it doesn't make its way back to the House of Commons. 'Every member of Parliament in Canada that's going to sit in that House has an obligation to think about all the children of this country, and shame on people that played games, pushing it down politically, kicking it to each other and blaming each other, even through the election,' Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said in May. 1:19 Shamattawa First Nation calls on Feds to honour clean water commitment Schulz and McCarthy also pointed to the Species at Risk Act, the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, Clean Electricity Regulations and the Impact Assessment Act as pieces of legislation or policy that should be repealed. Story continues below advertisement Legislation to repeal the portion of the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act that created the consumer carbon price was introduced in early June but is awaiting debate and votes in Parliament. The act will remain in place to maintain a carbon price for big industrial polluters. However the consumer carbon price was set to zero by regulation on April 1. Both provinces have been pushing the federal government to allow for developments of major projects, often finding themselves at odds with First Nations in their respective jurisdictions. One northern Ontario First Nation just completed a four-day demonstration that slowed down traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway to protest legislation designed to speed up mining and development, with leaders saying they feel heir rights are being violated and they are not being properly consulted in provincial and federal legislation. Bill C-5, which became law last week, gives Ottawa the power to fast-track projects meant to boost the national economy by sidestepping most of the environmental protections and legislation Alberta and Ontario want Canada to repeal.
Global News
6 hours ago
- Global News
Ottawa talking to Rio Tinto about liquidity help amid U.S. tariffs: Joly
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says the federal government is talking to mining and metals giant Rio Tinto about helping the company with liquidity problems caused by the United States' global steel and aluminum tariffs. During a visit to Saguenay, Que., on Thursday to meet with businesses in the province's critical aluminum sector, Joly said in French that Ottawa had started talks with the firm earlier this week. She said the government had already offered funding help for a Rio Tinto project installing carbon-free aluminum smelting cells at its Arvida smelter in Québec, and that she is ready to have conversations 'to know how we are able to help Rio Tinto in its liquidity' when there is a tariff war harming them 'in a completely unjustified way.' A spokesperson for the minister confirmed Friday that the talks were ongoing but did not provide any further details. Story continues below advertisement U.S. President Donald Trump last month doubled his administration's global tariffs on steel and aluminum to 50 per cent. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Prime Minster Mark Carney said Canada will deliver its response to that latest volley in the trade war on July 21, based on how talks between the nations are proceeding by that time. 1:46 Joly says Trump's 'unlawful, illegal' steel tariffs have feds in 'solution mode' Rio Tinto, one of the world's largest mining firms, is dual-headquartered in the United Kingdom and Australia but operates a number of mines and refineries with thousands of employees across Canada. Its website says it employs some 4,000 people in the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region. The company announced plans in 2023 to spend $1.4 billion to expand its aluminum smelting operations in the area. The Canadian Press reached out to Rio Tinto for comment on the negotiations but has not received a response. Story continues below advertisement Separately on Friday, Quebec Premier François Legault announced a new energy supply deal between Hydro-Québec and Alumenerie Alouette, an international consortium operating a smelter in Sept-Îles that counts Rio Tinto as a 40 per cent stakeholder. The consortium said as part of the deal it will invest $1.5 billion in modernizing its operations in Côte-Nord by 2045 with half of that spent in the next five years. A media release says these commitments will help maintain 1,000 jobs in the region. The new electricity pricing deal is described as balancing risk and reward for the partners — offering greater returns to Hydro-Québec when aluminum pricing is strong, but helping to make Alumenerie Alouette more competitive when market prices are low. The new deal will take effect in 2030 after the current agreement expires at the end of the previous year. Alumenerie Alouette counts Quebec investment agency QUALIUM, Austria's Metall AG, Norway's Hydro Aluminium and Japan's Marubeni Metals & Minerals among its stakeholders.
