Your Salary & Perks as a CBRM Councillor or Mayor + How To Run

goCapeBreton.com Team Follow Me

Posted this 2016-06-23 4:47 PM ADT (updated 2016-10-17 12:56 PM ADT)

Thinking about running for mayor or council? Here's a quick guide:

CBRM Councillor

Annual Salary	$39,264 (1/3 non-taxable)
Benefits	Standard medical and dental plan
Pension	Eligible to contribute to CBRM RRSP
Perks	Travel allowance of $140/week
Helping your community	Priceless!

Requirements	Part-time job (but some choose to do it full time)
Schedule	Work your own hours, when and wherever you want
Meetings	1 Council meeting per month, plus committee meetings
How to Win	Get more votes than anyone else running. If no one else runs, you win automatically.
Can you be fired?	Only if you move away, or are convicted of certain offences, or miss 3 consecutive council meetings without leave, or lose the next election.

CBRM Mayor

Annual Salary	$108,667 (1/3 non-taxable)
Benefits	Standard medical and dental plan
Pension	Eligible to contribute to CBRM RRSP
Perks	Travel allowance of $140/week
Helping your community	Priceless!

Requirements	Full time job+
How to Win	Get more votes than anyone else running. If no one else runs, you win automatically.

MORE DETAILS:

To be a candidate in either the Municipal Election or Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board Election:

The candidate must be Canadian Citizen at least 18 years of age at time of nomination.
Ordinarily resident in the municipality for 6 months preceding nomination day (i.e. since March 15th).
All property taxes owing as of nomination day must be paid and a certificate is required from CBRM tax office (for Mayor and Councillor candidates only).
And the candidate cannot be otherwise disqualified under the Municipal Elections Act or Education Act.
$200 deposit is required at the time of nomination (may be refundable under certain conditions).
You do not need to reside in the polling district of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in which you wish to seek election, as long as you meet the residency requirement of six months in the municipality.

Nominations:

Nomination Papers can be filed with the Returning Officer by appointment only from September 6 to 12, 2016 during regular business hours.
Official Nomination Day is Tuesday, September 13, 2016 and nominations can be filed with the Returning Officer between 9 am and 5 pm. Even though no appointment is necessary, it is recommended that candidates make an appointment.
September 13th is also the deadline to name your Official Agent.
District Boundary Descriptions and mapping will be available on this site in early July! Please check back!

Candidate Contributions

All contributions of $50 or over to a candidate’s campaign must be reported on Form 40 which will be provided in the Candidate’s package.
Following the Election, contribution forms are open to public inspection.
Contributions made to Municipal or School Board candidates are not tax deductible – no tax receipts are issued.
No anonymous contributions are allowed.

For more detailed information check out the Candidates Guide and the Municipal Elections Act

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Depth
Joe Ward Follow Me 2016-06-23 8:29 PM ADT Reply 2 0 This is great info! Thank you. Side note: I would actually like to see the council wages increased to $60,000/year. It would be an additional cost to the CBRM of ~$240,000 per year in base salary plus related amounts. While many would not like the idea of council getting increased wages, the strategy would be to draw greater competition for the roles. For many of the type of professionals that could have a big impact in the role, those wages would not meet their career income expectations unless they continued another job or had a business generating income for them. Of course, that would also use up a significant portion of their time availability, versus focusing solely on representing their district.
Peter Sheehan Follow Me 2016-06-24 8:01 AM ADT Reply 0 0 If you convert those salaries to an hourly rate based on a 40 hour week, your mayor makes about $53.50 an hour . How much an hour does CTC or an auto dealership charge for labour ?????? madeline yakimchuk Follow Me 2016-06-26 5:43 PM ADT Reply 0 0 I think that $50/hr is a good salary and we should keep it that way to attract high calibre people. We should just vote for high calibre people! Richard Collis Follow Me 2016-11-25 11:03 AM AST Reply 0 0 I know this comment is 5 months old, but the ideal that higher wages gets quality people, in my opinion has not worked out very well . Someti es you are just getting an expensive con artist who knows how to milk the system. Career politicians , bureaucrats getting big wages certainly does,t make them " quality" or high calibre people .
Jacquelyn Scott Follow Me 2016-06-26 5:17 PM ADT Reply 0 0 Do Councillors still get paid a fee or per diem for attending committee meetings (in addition to salary), or has that changed? Rory Andrews Follow Me 2016-06-27 2:14 PM ADT Reply 1 0 I just called the clerks office. Besides the $39,264 and $140 a week in travel expenses, a CBRM councilor receives no per diem funds for attending committee meetings. Jim Clark Follow Me 2016-09-11 12:03 AM ADT Reply 0 0 Rory, I've spoken to a former councillor. Specifically, are we sure that coucillors do not recieve extra compensation for sitting in on special interest groups? Also, does the deputy mayor recieve extra compensation?
mary mooney Follow Me 2016-11-28 12:19 AM AST Reply 0 0 But what are the qualifications required ? Joe Ward Follow Me 2016-11-28 10:03 AM AST Reply 0 0 There are no professional requirements. Some basic requirements are getting enough nomination signatures; paying the fee ($200; refundable); and not having been convicted of corruption (etc) per the Municipal Government Act for the last 5 years. The ultimate requirement is convincing the majority of voters in the district to vote for you. However, that's not closely correlated with professional qualifications (in matters of business, policy, etc) either. :)

Depth

Joe Ward Follow Me 2016-06-23 8:29 PM ADT

Reply 2 0

This is great info! Thank you. Side note: I would actually like to see the council wages increased to $60,000/year. It would be an additional cost to the CBRM of ~$240,000 per year in base salary plus related amounts. While many would not like the idea of council getting increased wages, the strategy would be to draw greater competition for the roles. For many of the type of professionals that could have a big impact in the role, those wages would not meet their career income expectations unless they continued another job or had a business generating income for them. Of course, that would also use up a significant portion of their time availability, versus focusing solely on representing their district.

Peter Sheehan Follow Me 2016-06-24 8:01 AM ADT

Reply 0 0

If you convert those salaries to an hourly rate based on a 40 hour week, your mayor makes about $53.50 an hour . How much an hour does CTC or an auto dealership charge for labour ??????

madeline yakimchuk Follow Me 2016-06-26 5:43 PM ADT

Reply 0 0

I think that $50/hr is a good salary and we should keep it that way to attract high calibre people. We should just vote for high calibre people!

Richard Collis Follow Me 2016-11-25 11:03 AM AST

Reply 0 0

I know this comment is 5 months old, but the ideal that higher wages gets quality people, in my opinion has not worked out very well . Someti es you are just getting an expensive con artist who knows how to milk the system. Career politicians , bureaucrats getting big wages certainly does,t make them " quality" or high calibre people .

Jacquelyn Scott Follow Me 2016-06-26 5:17 PM ADT

Reply 0 0

Do Councillors still get paid a fee or per diem for attending committee meetings (in addition to salary), or has that changed?

Rory Andrews Follow Me 2016-06-27 2:14 PM ADT

Reply 1 0

I just called the clerks office. Besides the $39,264 and $140 a week in travel expenses, a CBRM councilor receives no per diem funds for attending committee meetings.

Jim Clark Follow Me 2016-09-11 12:03 AM ADT

Reply 0 0

Rory, I've spoken to a former councillor. Specifically, are we sure that coucillors do not recieve extra compensation for sitting in on special interest groups? Also, does the deputy mayor recieve extra compensation?

mary mooney Follow Me 2016-11-28 12:19 AM AST

Reply 0 0

But what are the qualifications required ?

Joe Ward Follow Me 2016-11-28 10:03 AM AST

Reply 0 0

There are no professional requirements. Some basic requirements are getting enough nomination signatures; paying the fee ($200; refundable); and not having been convicted of corruption (etc) per the Municipal Government Act for the last 5 years. The ultimate requirement is convincing the majority of voters in the district to vote for you. However, that's not closely correlated with professional qualifications (in matters of business, policy, etc) either. :)

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Your Salary & Perks as a CBRM Councillor or Mayor + How To Run

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