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Group of four Calgary councillors want to freeze compensation rate until 2030, mayor to propose own motion
Posted Jan 10, 2025 9:42 am.
Last Updated Jan 10, 2025 2:12 pm.
A group of four Calgary councillors plan to put forward a motion next week that would freeze council compensation for the next five years.
Couns. Sonya Sharp, Andre Chabot, Terry Wong, and Dan Mclean say the Jan. 14 Public Hearing Meeting of Council will see the introduction of a motion to freeze council compensation at 2024 rates until 2030.
The four councillors are also part of municipal political party established in December, alongside former Coun. John Mar, and have a history of coming together on common issues.
Coun. Jennifer Wyness, who has historically been part of the group rallying at city hall, hasn’t been named as a member of the Communities First Party, nor as a supporter of this upcoming motion.
“This bold step underscores their commitment to fiscal responsibility during a time of economic uncertainty,” a statement released Friday by Sharp, Chabot, Wong, and McLean said.
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This comes as Mayor Jyoti Gondek and councillors started 2025 with a pay raise. The raise amounts to just over three per cent, bringing the salary for the city’s 14 councillors to $124,462.60 per year and the salary for the mayor to $220,298.83.
Prior to several consecutive raises, council’s pay was frozen in 2019, 2020, and 2021, and cut in 2018.
Council pay, benefits, and other forms of compensation are determined by the Council Compensation Review Committee (CCRC) established in 2002.
In subsequent years, CCRC’s were formed to market benchmark council compensation and make recommendations for changes, according to the city.
In July 2006, council approved a recommendation from the CCRC to use the annual change in the Alberta Average Weekly Earnings (AWE) as the basis for future increases.
Then, in 2017, council accepted another committee recommendation that allowed council to vote, before each election, to accept or reject the use of the AWE indicator for the next four year term.
A council vote ahead of the 2021 election approved the use of the AWE indicator.
The group of councillors say that the current economic climate gives reason to reconsider that decision.
“When this methodology came to us again in December, it made sense on paper. But in practice, it is irresponsible and tone-deaf to accept these types of automatic increases, especially in today’s uncertain economy,” Sharp said. “This motion prioritizes fiscal responsibility and setting a precedent for responsible governance.”
Because council approved the AWE indicator formula in December, the proposed motion would require a two-thirds majority reconsideration vote before voting on the motion itself.
It would freeze the mayor’s base salary at $213,737 and councillors’ base salary at $120,755 — 2024 rates — until 2030, unless the AWE formula results in a reduction, in which case the reduction would apply.
“Affordability is a challenge we hear about daily, and Council must lead by example,” said Chabot. “Freezing compensation shows we’re willing to make sacrifices and prioritize the financial well-being of the people we serve.”
If passed, the council and mayor elected in October 2025 would be exempt from a salary compensation, which the group says will allow for attention to be focused on the pressing needs of Calgarians.
McLean says this reinforces transparency and public trust, showing Calgarians they’re serious about leading by example.
Mayor Gondek to propose own motion
Shortly after the announcement from the four councillors, Gondek made a post on social media indicating her intentions to introduce her own motion.
The mayor wrote on X she’ll be asking council to freeze hers and theirs salaries for 2025.
“Now is not the time for elected officials to take a raise,” Gondek said. “Calgarians are struggling with higher grocery bills, increasing utility rates, and inflation.
“If we’re asking City Administration to find efficiencies and Calgarians to stretch their budgets, we must hold ourselves to the same standard.”
