Outgoing city councillors destined for soft landings thanks to big severance payouts

Canadians often decry the gold plated pensions of their MPs or the severance packages for their representatives from their provincial legislatures.

But one set of payouts that always seems to fall under the radar are the severance payments that municipal councils have often voted-in for themselves.

In civic elections this year in — Manitoba, in Ontario and in British Columbia — outgoing councillors and mayors are collectively going to cash-in on millions of dollars.

According to the Winnipeg Sun, ex-Winnipeg councillors are entitled to three weeks salary for every year in office up to a maximum of six months.

They note, that following the October 22nd election, the severance packages of former mayor Sam Katz and seven ex-city councillors will cost taxpayers $400,000.

In Ontario, the total comes to almost half a million dollars.

The Toronto Sun reports that "every member of council is eligible to collect 1/12 of their annual salary for every year of service when they leave office through resignation, retirement or defeat."

"Retiring veteran Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby tops the severance list. She’ll be eligible to collect $105,397 in severance," notes the Sun.

"Councillors Karen Stintz and Mike Del Grande both served on council for 11 years so they’ll be eligible for $96,613 each."

In British Columbia — which has its elections on November 15th — cities like Surrey, Richmond and North Vancouver have similar policies.

[ Related: Outgoing Ontario MPPs will collect a total of $2.8 million in severance ]

The argument for these severance payouts is that politicians are foregoing career advancement, bigger salaries and maybe pensions in other vocations by choosing instead to serve the community.

But not all the politicians agree with that.

Former Surrey mayor Doug McCallum — who is running for mayor again — says that many city councillors also have other jobs while sitting on council.

"Politicians know the risk of entering public life, and I don’t believe that elected officials should be entitled to this kind of gold-plated severance if voters decide not to elect them again," he told the Voice Online.

"The will of the electorate is what every politician chooses to be judged by and that choice should not come with a safety net on the taxpayers’ dime."

What do you think?

Should losing or retiring city councillors be entitled to a severance payout?

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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