Parteek Singh Mahal
RED FM News Desk
SURREY, BC – The compensation of Metro Vancouver mayors has been a significant point of public contention over the past year. A recent Deloitte report indicates that the “excessive compensation” received by these mayors risks eroding public trust. The report suggests that mayors should not earn more than provincial cabinet ministers, whose maximum base salary is $183,000. This recommendation has garnered support from some local officials.
Several Metro Vancouver councillors are now publicly advocating for a review of local mayors’ salaries. New Westminster Councillor Daniel Fontaine argues there’s no justification for many regional mayors earning more than provincial cabinet ministers, whose top base pay was $172,112 as of 2023.
“We see some of the mayors in the Metro region earning close to $400,000 a year, so it’s excessive,” Fontaine stated. He added, “It is beyond what the public would expect from our local mayors and politicians, and it needs to end.”
According to 2023 financial reporting, Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley was the highest-paid, with a base pay and per diems totaling $330,704 (excluding additional benefits like car allowances). He was followed by Richmond’s Malcolm Brodie earning $312,030, Delta’s George Harvie $291,402, Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West $276,437, and Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, who earned an annual salary of $213,093.
Richmond councillor Kash Heed said “Richmond Mayor Brodie took home nearly $380,000 in 2024 — and this after the Deloitte report explicitly warned against runaway municipal salaries. The credibility of local governance is at stake here. It’s time for Premier Eby and his Cabinet colleagues to make sure their municipal colleagues aren’t making more money than they are.”
Surrey councillor Linda Annis said “We must restore balance. No mayor should earn more than a Cabinet Minister, and yet here we are — six-figure gaps and no accountability. It’s time to adopt Deloitte’s recommendation, legislate a cap and end this cycle of excess.”
The Deloitte Governance Review called Metro Vancouver’s structure “overly complex and expensive,” and urged an overhaul of its pay and governance model. The report warned that without change, public confidence in local government would continue to erode.
As public scrutiny intensifies, pressure is mounting for municipalities to adopt formal salary caps and align elected officials’ pay with comparable roles across government.
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