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6 uw ° =z = Ss = Waterloo Chronicle | Thursday, September 22, 2022 | = MIKE FARWELL. Column Our regional govern- ment has been in the news lately thanks to lise aan to become a ployer. such, anyone con- tracted to work ata region: amount an employee work- ing in the Region of Water- loo would have to earn to cover. living expenses inour government employees, of course, al- ready earn well above the ————— Reg $7.99 Ib $11.00 kg Reg $17.61 kg calculated living wage. If the region's application to become a Living Wage em- ployer is approved, as ex- pected in 2023, the new pay rates would apply to janito- rial cafeteria staff, among others who are con- tracted to work for the re- m. With a municipal el tion fast approaching, ies 'S interesting to look at this in the context of council com- pensatic ‘ion. A regional councillor earns about $48,000/year for what is classified as a part-time job. Whether or not the job is truly part- time has long been the sub- ject of debate as most coun- cillors do far more than at- tend a meeting or two each woth issue arose in Guelph a couple of years ago when council was con- SHOW ME THE MONEY: ARE CITY COUNCILLORS WELL COMPENSATED? sidering an increase to compensation. the time, Guelph councillors reported doing about 20 hours of work per week, the equivalent of 2 part-time job. Taking int account council breaks tt Christmas and over the summer, councillor Dan Gibson calculated the an- nual workload for an elect- ed official in Guelph to be aon hours per year. e apply that same for- na in the region, a re- councillor earns about $57/hour ($48,000 per year, divided by 840 hours), or about 3.5 times the cur- rent living It'sa similar story at the city of Kitchener, the re- gion's largest municipality. Not long ago, a council- lor in Kitchener earned about $45,000 per year, with one-third of it being tax- Weekly Specials September 19 - 26, 2022 pe, Store Made Stuffed Rolled Ribs $5.49 Ib reg $6.49 b $10.56 Kg reg $14.31 kg Chicken Thighs Fresh Boneless Skinless $6.99 Ib reg $7.99 1b $15.41 kg reg $17.61 kg Store Made Pre-Cooked Beef Pot Roasts (454 g) $11,99/ea negs13.909 ea Breast Filets (900 g) Breaded Seasoned Chicken $13,99/ea rey s1699¢0 Store Made Potato & Ring Bologna Leek Soup (16 o7) $4.99/ea reg $5.09ea St Made Dill Pickl Beet. J erky (88 9) rokle $5,99/ea reg $7.09 ea Store Made Smoked $5.99 Ib reg $7.49 1b $13.21 kg reg $1551 kg Roast Store Made Deli Sliced Beef $10.99 Ib Reg $12.49 1b $2.42/100 g reg s2.75/1009 Store Made Deli Sliced $6.99 Ib regsa.30 10 (@owtrerelt Gaebs Waterloo Most jicipal find the " Metroland file photo multiple committees or boards, plus at numerous public events during evenings and on weekends, writes Mike Farwell. free. When a change to the program meant councillor salaries were fully taxed, compensat creased so that take-home pay would not be impacted. Today, a councillor in Kitchener earns about hours-per-year workload, a councillor in Kitchener earns about $77 per hour, or more than 4.5 times the liv- ing wage. Again, the 20-hours- er- week workload was calcu- lated by personal inter- views with councillors in Guelph in 2020 and is no doubt a very individual amount. Most municipal councillors find themselves on multiple committees or boards, plus at numerous public events during e' nings and on weekends. But it's also true that, no matter how many hoursare devoted to the “part-time” with a pre-holiday getaway! Frankenmuth Getaway DOUBLE SINGLE $795 $895 Nashville Christmas $2,595 $3,395 Niagara Theatre & Shopping $1,195 $1,395 Québec Christmas Markets $2,195 $2,795 Cooked Ham $1.54/100 g reg s1.25/1009 www.toursincanada.com/holidaygetaways waterloochronicle.ca 3031 Tonemaes Line; Heidelberg Mon - Thur 8 am-6 pm, Fri 8 am-7 pm | Sat 7:30 am-5 pm 1 9-699-4590 STEMMLERMEATS.CA | Only the best from our family to yours! accommodation, ‘Connections Program, coach transportation, @ detuxerikingcon job of a city councillor, also have full-time work outside of council du- S. During an election year that saw a slow rise to a full self included - if the job of municipal councillor was attractive. Given. the nature and in- tensity of scrutiny and crit- icism today, it would be hard to fault anyone from steering clear of politics in general, but especially at the municipal level. The m x of candi- dates who have come for- ward suggests this concern may have been unfounded. And based on this finan- a alysis, any concerns candidates had about rates of pay would have been un- founded as well. Columnist Mike Far- well is a broadcaster, MC and advocate. Follow him on Twitter at @far- well_WR, or connect with him via Mike. Far- well@rci.rogers.com. Courtesy of Bonjour Québec tu DeNureTours om