In many municipalities across the province, councillors are considered part-time and paid as such
This article by Zachary Spicer, York University, Canada originally appeared on the Conversation and is published here with permission.Four years ago in Ontario, 6,658 candidates put their names forward for 2,864 seats on local councils. It’s safe to assume a similar number will do so again, but that also begs the question about how many considered running for office but opted against it.
This also includes doing the constituency work necessary to solve local problems, such as ensuring property standards are met, answering property tax inquiries or supporting people as they try to access local services and programs. The levels of compensation vary considerably. According to the association’s survey, most members of council are paid less than $40,000. There is some variation in size, of course, with council members from larger municipalities earning more than those from smaller communities.
Clearly, the job is appealing to enough people. If we dig a bit deeper, however, we find some signs of trouble. Only two per cent of those serving on rural councils self-identified as a racialized minority. In short, municipal councils tend to be older, male and white, making them largely unrepresentative of the communities they serve.
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