According to a report by HayGroup, commissioned by the City of Calgary, the city’s 14 aldermen represent an average of 81,264 residents each.
With a salary of $102,978, that amounts to about $1.27 per resident, per year.
That’s compared to cities such as Saskatoon where councillors earn $2.22 per citizen, or in Montreal where the rate is $1.83 per citizen.
“When you take a look at the averages of what other cities do, their wards aren’t as big as ours,” said Ald. Ray Jones. “I’m going to be adding another community in the next election — Martindale — which is going to take me over 90,000 people that I represent.”
Ald. Andre Chabot said the number of constituents aldermen represent is often indicative of their workload but said he tries not to compare himself to other politicians.
“Honestly, I don’t like comparing myself to others so much as to assess the job specifically as to what my responsibilities are,” he said.
Ward 6 alderman Richard Pootmans said as the city continues to grow, the work of council increases.
“With growth comes even more work to help manage that growth.”
Money for mayors
Mayor Naheed Nenshi earns $191,589, according to the HayGroup report.
- If Nenshi represents 1,137,698 Calgarians, he earns $0.17 per citizen.
- Comparatively, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford brings in about $0.06 per person based on a population of 2,810,858.
- Ald. Chabot plans to present a motion on Monday suggesting council’s salary increase be tied to the consumer price index (CPI).
