The mayor of Toronto deserves a raise, according to a consultant's report for the city.
Toronto's next mayor deserves a 9.4-per-cent raise, according to a consultant's report that aims to take the politics out of setting politicians' salaries three months before the election.
The leader of Canada's largest city currently earns $167,769.94 before benefits, less than counterparts in Mississauga, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Montreal, according to the Hay Group.
The report recommends the mayor's annual pay cheque be increased to $183,604 - a bump of nearly $16,000 - on Dec. 1, 2010, the day the next mayor is due to be sworn in.
"Toronto is the largest city in Canada and is more than twice the population of the second largest municipality," says the report, which goes to the last meeting of David Miller's executive committee next Monday.
"The Mayor has the largest voters' base of any politician in Canada. This factor should be considered in determining the Mayor's salary."
Councillors are already paid a fair wage, the report says. It recommends their salary stay at $99,620 on Dec. 1.
However, the reports says both the mayor and councillors should receive the same cost-of-living adjustment as the city's management and non-union employees, beginning Jan. 1, 2011.
Council would have to adopt the recommendations at its last meeting of the year later this month.
Setting politicians' pay has long been a thorny issue at Toronto City Hall, where councillors have been reluctant to vote themselves raises with some even returning their annual cost of living adjustments.
Kelly Grant