METRO VANCOUVER - Port Coquitlam has voted in favour of giving themselves a hefty raise, with a 27 per cent increase for councillors and a 42 per cent boost for Mayor Greg Moore.
Meanwhile, the minister in charge of B.C. municipalities is reviewing whether the proposed increase is justified. Community and Rural Development Minister Ben Stewart said he was surprised to hear that Port Coquitlam was considering the pay raises. The proposed increase follows a recent 17-per-cent pay hike for Burnaby's mayor and 1.6-per-cent hike for councillors, The new raised is aimed at bringing Port Coquitlam salaries closer to those of neighbouring councils. Under the proposal that passed the vote tonight, Moore's salary would jump to $85,418 from $67,277, while the councillors' pay would increase to $31,654 from $22,257. Port Coquitlam council has not had a pay increase for 15 years. Stewart said while it's up to councils to set their own pay rates and remain accountable to their taxpayers, he wants to ensure there is a consistent, published set of guidelines so taxpayers aren't taken by surprise by hefty hikes. He has asked staff to look into what guidelines are already in place regarding municipal remuneration and will review what is being paid to councils in municipalities similar in size to Port Coquitlam, which has a population of 56,446.
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