TORONTO - Toronto city councillors voted to give themselves a $33,000 raise on Thursday, bringing their salaries more in line with local politicians from across the country.
Last night’s controversial debate ended years of councillor frustration after successive mayors tried to quash the salary question over fears it would incite ire from voters.
Councillors now earn $170,588 per year, effective Jan. 1, 2025, rather than the $137,537 they would have earned if the motion did not pass.
Earlier this week, Mayor Olivia Chow said the 24 per cent increase, recommended by a third-party consultant, was “a bit steep.” Chow makes $225,000 per year and her salary wasn’t affected by the vote.
Chow left for Washington, D.C., before the Thursday night debate and didn’t participate in the vote.
The last time councillors received a pay raise above inflation was 2006, when salaries increased by nearly nine per cent from $87,214 to $95,000. They normally get cost of living increases, but voted to forego those raises in 2011, 2020 and 2021.
Fifteen councillors voted in favour of the raise.
The eight who opposed it were an unusual coalition who normally find themselves on opposite sides of issues.
Council’s right-leaning flank, which includes Beaches-East York Coun. Brad Bradford and Etobicoke Centre Coun. Stephen Holyday, voted against the motion alongside members further to the left, such as Davenport Coun. Alejandra Bravo, Toronto-Danforth Coun. Paula Fletcher and Parkdale-High Park Coun. Gord Perks.
Etobicoke North Coun. Vincent Crisanti, York South-Weston Frances Nunziata and Scarborough Southwest Coun. Parthi Kandavel also voted against the pay hike.
TorontoToday rounded up some key quotes from the Thursday debate.
Don Valley North Coun. Shelley Carroll — voted yes
Carroll is one of the most powerful councillors at city hall. She chairs the Toronto Police Service Board, serves as the city’s budget chief and heads the subcommittee preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
She urged her colleagues to vote yes.
The debate was about whether councillors wanted to continue “chronically underpaying yourselves,” she said.
The Don Valley North councillor launched into an impassioned speech on how the raise is necessary to attract talented and dedicated people to politics.
“We’re not getting any younger in this room. Some of us might not be here next term,” she said. “These are desperately hard times and we need the best in the city to want to join us in this chamber.”
Without a raise, “we've got a ghost of a chance of populating this council chamber with people who can properly run this city and take it into the future for our children, for our grandchildren,” Caroll said.
“We have to be brave and we have to do it right now.”
Scarborough North Coun. Jamaal Myers — voted yes
“So councillors … are the only [public servants] that get paid by the City of Toronto who have not received a raise since 2006?” Myers asked Mary Madigan-Lee, the city’s chief people officer.
“Since 2006, councillors have only received [inflation adjustments],” Madigan-Lee responded. “That is not the same as the City of Toronto employees.”
Myers voted for the raise.
Etobicoke Centre Coun. Stephen Holyday — voted no
Holyday tried to quash the issue and force a vote to keep salaries at their current levels.
“Do you think it is appropriate to make a change? I submit to council that it is not,” he said.
“I just believe that if we do this, it further erodes people’s confidence in government and I don’t think we should do it.”
Toronto Centre Coun. Chris Moise — voted yes
Moise brought up conversations he had with other Ontario councillors at a recent Federation of Canadian Municipalities meeting in Montreal.
After hearing what his colleagues earned, how many people they represent and how much work they do relative to a Toronto councillor, he said he was shocked.
“That’s incredible,” he said, reminding the chamber that councillors’ ward sizes doubled in 2018.
“Here at our council, we're here for pretty much three full days. It starts at 9:30 in the morning. We're here till late at night,” he said. “We have the largest transit system, you name it. I chair the board of health, the largest municipal health agency in the country.”
On top of chairing the board of health, Moise said he sits on 30 committees and agencies.
“The job is seven days a week. This job is 24/7. I don't turn my phone off at night because I may get a call from the fire chief or the police chief.”
York Centre Coun. James Pasternak — voted yes
Pasternak brought forward a motion to end debate and force a vote around 8 p.m..
“Thank you, James. Awesome,” Carroll said shortly after. Other councillors weren’t as happy.
“Nineteen years of debate is enough,” Pasternak said.