Residents should be advised the story ‘Next Esquimalt mayor to get a 20% raise’ tells only half the story.
The public was told the mayor’s base pay from Esquimalt will be hiked by 20% to $84,776 after the fall election.
The mayor of the township also automatically sits on the CRD board in a separate role as a director which significantly boosts overall compensation. After all, Esquimalt taxpayers help pay for the salary indirectly through regional requisitions from the CRD.
In 2025, the current mayor was paid $34,538 including expenses by the CRD, according to the annual statement of financial information. But following a recent remuneration review, the next mayor will receive an additional annual stipend of $3,069 to the base pay.
Councillors will also see a pay hike of 13% to $33,910 in November, based on 40% of the mayor’s salary.
In 2025, councillors were paid $31,658 plus expenses, according to the annual statement of financial information.
But the story fails to mention that on top of these pay hikes, mayor and council will receive cost of living adjustments annually for the next several years.
Of particular concern is the methodology used by the consultants in setting pay recommendations. In 2024, eight of the 13 comparators had greater populations,10 of the 13 had greater annual expenses.
So, these communities have budgets and populations in excess of Esquimalt which inflates the pay recommendations.
Its true council is following some of the Union of B.C. Municipalities best practices, although they effectively continue to ratchet up other municipal council salaries.
Esquimalt did not seek any feedback through a citizen committee or resident consultation. Setting aside self-interest for a moment, the validity of the pay recommendations are called into question when public input is not considered in the process.
Why does Esquimalt council bury information on remuneration and expenses on its website? How easy is it for the public to find clear, complete and consolidated information?
Ahead of the fall civic election, frustrated Esquimalt taxpayers will judge if these pay hikes are justified and if there’s sufficient transparency.
The pay hikes may be a hard sell following this year’s overall tax hike of 11.32 %, the highest surge in the entire region. It added an estimated $420 to the average tax bill in 2026.