Recommendations for increase follow report by city’s CPO Mary Madigan-Lee
Toronto city councillors have voted to increase their base salary by almost 25 per cent, accepting a recommendation put forward by city staff.
In a 15-8 decision, with three members abstaining, council approved a raise that moves their salary from $137,537 to $170,588 —an increase of roughly $33,000.
The move is expected to add about $957,000 to the city’s 2025 expenses for salaries and benefits.
This marks the first significant pay hike for councillors since 2006, beyond regular inflation adjustments, according to the CBC. The recommendation came from a report issued earlier this year by Mary Madigan-Lee, the city’s chief people officer.
Mayor Olivia Chow, whose own compensation is not impacted by this decision, expressed her disapproval earlier in the week.
“It is too steep,” she told reporters Tuesday. “These are hard economic times for everyone, and it’s also uncertain times, uncertain because of the Trump tariff.”
A senior total rewards director in Canada should expect to earn anywhere from $174,000 to $226,000 in 2025, according to an earlier survey.
The staff report defended the proposed increase, citing the extensive responsibilities of Toronto councillors, says the CBC. It emphasized their oversight of the nation’s largest municipal budget, including major shelter and transit systems and a substantial housing portfolio.
Despite this workload, the report noted Toronto councillors earn less than about 40 per cent of their peers in municipalities used for comparison. The raise places their compensation in the 75th percentile of elected officials in similarly sized cities, meaning they will now earn more than three-quarters of councillors in those areas.
The analysis also highlighted that Toronto councillors have the lowest pay per constituent—$1.08—among the cities studied. It added that Toronto stands alone in not offering extra pay for participation on service agency boards, says the CBC.
By contrast, Markham councillors, representing 353,000 residents, earn roughly $161,000 and top the list with $5.24 per constituent. Mississauga councillors, whose wards include close to 800,000 people, have the highest base pay in the group at about $173,000 for 2024.
Toronto’s councillors outrank only those in Ottawa in terms of base salary among the Ontario municipalities surveyed, says the CBC.
Some councillors were not in favour of the raise. Etobicoke Centre’s Stephen Holyday opposed the decision, saying, “I just believe that, if we do this, it further erodes people’s confidence in government. And I don’t think we should do it.”
However, Toronto Centre councillor Chris Moise stood in support of the change. “This job I do is seven days a week, 24/7,” he said. “I don’t think this salary that is being requested here is unreasonable. I actually think it’s quite reasonable.”
