THE
NEWSPAPER.COM
A07
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2012
NEWS
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Metro Vancouver events
Directors’ pay reconsidered YEAR END Jacob Zinn
Now contributor Twitter @jacobzinn
In the wake of FOI information unveiled by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Metro Vancouver is considering lowering the amount of compensation that its directors receive for attending events. The CTF filed a freedom-of-information request sometime after Metro Vancouver’s Zero Waste Challenge conference on Sept. 14. They found that five politicians, including Surrey Coun. Marvin Hunt and Delta Mayor Lois Jackson, received remuneration for attending and speaking at the event while the other 20 guest speakers waived their honorarium fees. “(The conference) cost taxpayers almost $75,000 to put on,” said Jordan Bateman, the B.C. director of the CTF. “It would have cost taxpayers a whole lot more, but Metro Vancouver was successful in convincing the 20 guest speakers, including the keynote, to waive their usual honorariums and speaking fees.” Surrey Coun. Marvin Hunt received $346 for attending the conference for three hours and Delta Mayor Lois Jackson also received $346 for attending the conference for 90 minutes. Richmond Mayor Malcom
Brodie, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan and Vancouver Coun. Andrea Reimer also received compensation for their attendance. Bateman said he thinks the councillors and mayors should have passed on their compensation and that it should be lowered. Metro Vancouver directors currently receive $346 for appearances four hours and under, and compensation doubles after four hours. Metro Vancouver is looking at dropping the compensation to a flat rate of $100, no matter how long the event is. Coun. Hunt said that while it can be challenging for directors to set appropriate compensation, the current rate is reasonable. “When you talk about it being a four-hour meeting, somebody quickly does the math and they said, ‘Well, boy, you’re getting paid an awful lot an hour,’” he said. “But you forget the fact that we have a whole bunch of reading to do before that. That is also part of the job because you just don’t walk in there cold and then start reading the material and figuring out what’s going on.” When asked about the criticism from the CTF, Hunt felt Bateman was simply looking for press to raise awareness and funds for the non-profit group. Jackson could not be reached for comment.
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