Calgarians on the hook for outgoing councillors’ transition allowances

As a new slew of faces appear on Calgary city council, those on their way out are about to receive a big payday paid for by taxpayers.

More than half a million dollars in transition allowance will be paid to 10 council members, including the mayor, who were either defeated or are retiring.

The allowance is meant to help ease politicians’ transition from public office.

“The transition allowance should be aligned with what the taxpayer paying for them should get, politicians should not be getting severences and transition allowances when they are choosing to leave office,” said Kevin Lacey of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

“I think the biggest problem with these is they are far richer than those in the private sector would get.”

One-term councillor and failed mayoral candidate Jeromy Farkas is the only one who turned down both the transitional allowance and what’s called the golden pension.

He had been vocal against both programs and says a promise made is a promise kept.

“It’s really a matter of principle, and the taxpayers paying the bill deserve fairness and they deserve to have the entitlements of their politicians in line with the very entitlements that they receive outside of government,” Lacey added.

This will be the last set of city councillors who are eligible to claim up to 52 weeks of transition allowance.