Council voted 9-4 in favour of giving themselves a 32 per cent raise. Pictured: St. Catharines City Council Chambers. Photo Credit: City of St. Catharines.
The contentious debate regarding the rate of pay for St. Catharines city councillors concluded this week. With the notable support of Mayor Mat Siscoe, Council voted 9-4 in favour of giving themselves a $9,000 one-time pay raise, followed by an annual rise in salaries which will be decided by using a new specialized method.
The compensation bump, which will begin when the new council takes office following the 2026 municipal elections, will result in the 12 part-time ward councillors making a total of $37,000, translating to a 32 per cent wage increase from the current rate of $27,765. The raise does not include Siscoe.
Historically, city councillors have been paid 55.5 per cent of the average earned income in the city, which is calculated from the filed tax returns of individuals. Under the new system, councillors will receive annual salary increases at a rate that is identical with those of non-union city staff, including an annual economy adjustment to compensation which is usually based on the Consumer Price Index.
Council green-lighted the plans to bump up compensation following a recommendation from the citizens task force, which shared that the average pay of lower-city councillors in a selection of other Ontario municipalities, including Barrie, Cambridge, Guelph, Kingston, Kitchener, Oshawa, Thunder Bay, Waterloo and Windsor, was $46,970 in 2023. The Niagara Region, in which St. Catharines is the largest city, saw the average at-large councillor bring home $24,769, in 2023, while ward councillors made only a median $21,106. Higher-tier Niagara Regional Councillors currently make $40,355 per year.
Siscoe believes that St. Catharines councillors must work harder than their regional counterparts. He cited the copious number of emails, phone calls, and the attendance of community events in which city councillors are engaged. He also argued that if a councillor works 30 hours a week, they are only receiving a rate of pay that is one dollar above minimum wage.
A variety of opinions were shared by councillors. St. Patrick’s Ward Councillor Robin McPherson argued that the increase was relatively small in relation to the essential tasks and increasing workload of city councillors. She also argued that the pay increase was necessary for the city to encourage more diversity on the council, saying that low compensation rates can be a reason that some people would be disillusioned from serving in this capacity.
McPherson’s latter point was echoed by Merriton Ward Councillor Greg Miller, who said he would not seek another term on council, and therefore would not benefit from the pay increase that he supported.
Caleb Ratzlaff, who is also represents St. Patrick’s and voted in favour of the pay hike, believes that it would be better to compensate fewer politicians at a higher rate than maintaining the current level of elected officials. Ratzlaff, like McPherson, views this pay bump as modest, and also believes that it is necessary to encourage more diverse representation, particularly of young people, on council.
A comprehensive dissenting view was extensively articulated by Joe Kushner, a St. Andrew’s Ward Councillor. Kusher emphasized the immense privilege that it is to serve as elected representatives. He said that the pay of councillors should continue to be based on the median salary of everyday citizens, whereas the findings of the citizens task force would be more effective if applied to the context of employee salaries. Kushner, who has served as a councillor since 1976, disagreed with the assertion of McPherson that the job of a councillor has become more difficult or time consuming.
In addition to supporting the motion to raise pay for councillors, Siscoe introduced a motion that would allow city councillors the option of joining the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System Pension Plan (OMERS), like other part-time employees. Contributions to the pension would be allocated through deductions from the paycheques of participating councillors. This motion was also approved.
The debate over a pay raise may have been settled in St. Catharines for the time-being. However, the process reignited the discourse on a number of other hotly contested issues, including diversity in representation, the ratio of elected officials per citizens, as well as the fiscal prudence of funding two tiers of local government.
Nick Redekop completed his Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Labour Studies at Brock University. He has previously served in municipal and federal politics. In his free time, Nick enjoys following sports, taking part in outdoor activities, and reading biographies. Nick resides in Niagara Falls
