Golden handshake: Montreal paying $4M to outgoing politicians

Josh K. Elliott, CTVNews.ca Published Tuesday, January 23, 2018 10:23AM EST

There’s a silver lining to surrendering political office in Montreal, and it amounts to a combined $4-million golden handshake for former mayor Denis Coderre and 41 outgoing city councillors.The City of Montreal has released a list detailing the $3,985,458 in anticipated transition payments for politicians who were defeated in last November’s municipal election, in a payout that is mandated by provincial law. Former mayor Denis Coderre will be among the highest-paid figures on the list, when the city cuts him a cheque for $193,873.95. However, he won’t be the only one raking in the cushy severance pay. Thirteen other city officials will receive six-figure payouts, with two others raking in more than Coderre.Anie Samson, former borough mayor of Villeray-Saint-Michel-Park-Extension, tops the list with a payout of $284,714.25. Harout Chitilian, the city’s ousted vice president of the executive committee, will also receive a higher payment than Coderre. He’s slated to receive $197,634.32, according to the list. The exit payouts are required by law for elected officials who have served more than two years in office, with the amount determined based on time served. The money is meant to help politicians transition back into private life.