Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey says she could not accept a 24 per cent raise recommended by a panel of appointed residents when so many in her city are struggling to make ends meet.
Brampton City Council voted Monday night to give councillors a seven per cent raise, hiking their pay from $78,713 to $84,495, but eliminated the provision that made one third of their salaries exempt from income tax.
Jeffrey’s pay stood to rise to $139,374 from $112,307, but Jeffrey told CP24 the raise would send the wrong message to residents, and refused to take it.
“I think if I was a resident, I would be hopping mad,” Jeffrey said. “These are not the times to do this. There are so many people who are earning minimum wage, or are precariously employed, or unemployed. They want their council to spend their tax dollars wisely.”
“This to me is just fattening the wallet.”
The raises will cost Brampton taxpayers $182,000 per year.
Jeffrey and six other members of Brampton council also each receive more than $50,000 per year in salary for sitting on Peel Regional council.
Brampton’s former mayor, Susan Fennell, was Canada’s highest paid mayor in 2012, earning a total of $213,727.
