London’s $94,000 question: Do city councillors need a 33% pay raise next term?

A task force recommends London city councillors receive a 33% pay raise next term. CTV London’s Daryl Newcombe explains.

A task force recommends London city councillors receive a 33 per cent pay raise (to $94,222/year) next term to compensate for rising workloads, but admits there’s no requirement that they work full-time hours to receive the full-time income.

On Friday, the Council Resourcing Review Task Force met to discuss a long list of draft recommendations about council compensation and expenses for the 2026-2030 term.

Currently, the 14 councillors earn the median (50th percentile) full-time employment income in London based on data collected by Statistics Canada.

At the start of the next term in November 2026, the median will be $70,697.

The task force recommends adjusting the formula to the 70th percentile, which would equal $94,222.

That’s a 33 per cent increase.

“It’s needed and it’s more equitable for sure. I’m okay with the 70th percentile,” said task force member Jennifer Slay.

Member Dane Ferry added, “The councillor role is being carried out as more of a full-time position.”

“I think it levels us up with our peer [municipalities],” said task force chair Martin Horak. “[It] recognizes the complex and demanding nature of the role.”

Following the meeting, former City Coun. Jared Zaifman, who is also a member of the task force, told CTV News, “Certainly it is a jump, but I think it’s also really catching up from a long time.”

City councillors could further boost their pay by accepting some additional responsibilities.

They can earn four per cent more if chosen by the mayor to serve as the chair of a Standing Committee ($97,991).

The roles of deputy mayor and budget chair would each pay eight per cent above the base amount, a total of $101,760.

However, no additional pay would be earned for sitting on external boards and commissions.

A previous task force defined city councillor as a full-time role, but several current councillors continue to operate private businesses or work external jobs.

This task force acknowledges that there’s no legislative enforcement mechanism to prevent a councillor from having outside employment, but their draft report emphasizes, “The expectation that a councillor’s role constitutes full time service BE CLARIFIED AND REINFORCED … in council documents.”

“Cementing it as a full-time council role, that it’s the expectation, should be there [in Council policies],” explained Zaifman. “So [this is] commensurate salary to that point. I also think we’ve seen a lot from the comparator municipalities. Some of them are even beyond where that [recommended] salary is right now.”

City staff anticipate that Statistics Canada will release updated employment income data in fall 2027, which the task force recommends would trigger an automatic update to the base pay.

Zaifman said that could result in a mid-term raise, but could also trigger a pay reduction if local employment data doesn’t meet projections.

“You’re in a role that’s serving the constituents of your community, if the community is not doing as well, I think it’s fair that [councillor base pay] potentially goes down. But if the community is doing well, it could go up,” he explained.

Councillor expense accounts could also be overhauled to recognize rising costs and workloads.

Currently, each councillor can remit expenses up to $13,500 each year.

The expense account covers ward-related expenditures like renting meeting rooms, office expenses, home internet, or hiring a part-time assistant.

The task force recommends a $10,000 general expense account, plus a new $15,000 expense account dedicated to the cost of hiring a part-time assistant.

“Obviously it’s an increase in the expenditures,” explained Zaifman. “That’s something that council will decide if they’re interested in, but I think it’s looking at how can they best serve their constituents.”

The task force voted three to one against providing municipal politicians with severance pay when they leave office voluntarily or following an election defeat.

“It just doesn’t seem appropriate to me,” Horak told colleagues on the task force.

“I’m frustrated this has become the norm in other governments,” added Zaifman.

The draft report recommends no pay increase for the mayor, “A comparative review of Ontario municipalities found that a mayor typically earns approximately 1.88 times more than a councillor, but in 2025 the mayor of London earned 2.20 times more than a councillor.”

The Council Resourcing Review Task Force will finalize its recommendations at a meeting on Oct, 3 before forwarding its report to council.

Only council can make changes to compensation and expenses.

Task force members

• Martin Horak (Chair) – Associate Professor of Political Science, Western University, and Associate Director, Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance
• Jennifer Slay (Vice Chair) – Director of EDI and Decolonization at King’s University College
• Dane Ferry – Manager of Government Services at Western University’s Student Union
• Jared Zaifman – Chief Executive Officer, London Home Builder’s Association