Newly elected Ottawa council in 2026 could get a pay raise

The sign outside City Hall in Ottawa (CTV News Ottawa)

An Ottawa city councillor wants a future pay raise for elected officials to take effect on the first day of the new term in 2026.

In a motion for Wednesday’s council meeting, Coun. Shawn Menard recommends staff include an adjustment to the salary for the mayor and councillors to align with the “average remuneration for comparator municipalities” in the 2026-2030 Governance Review, with the new salary to take effect on November 15, 2026.

“Approving a future adjustment to align Ottawa City Councillors’ remuneration with the average remuneration for comparator municipalities at the start of the new term of Council in 2026 would provide for the market review approach as recommended in the MNP report,” Menard said in his motion.

A comparative analysis of the salaries for the mayor and councillors by third-party MNP Business Consulting and Advisory Services (MNP) last November found the pay for Ottawa’s elected officials is comparable with salaries in other Canadian municipalities.

The report recommended the city implement an “automatic formal market review process” at the end of year two or year three of the term and any approved salary adjustments to take effect at the start of the new term of council.

Ottawa councillors earned $119,654 in 2024, while the mayor earned $213,689. Elected officials also received a 2.5 per cent increase for 2025 on Jan. 1.

Menard declined a request to speak with CTV News Ottawa about his motion.

Coun. Stephanie Plante said she’s undecided on whether councillors deserve a raise.

“One of the things I think plays in favour of Councillor Menard’s motion is the big disparity between the incomes of councillors, Members of Provincial Parliament and Members of Parliament,” Plante said.

“And when I saw sort of the salary levels, I thought to myself, that’s really interesting because I would argue we do just as much work. Our work is equally as important.”

In July, CTV News Ottawa reported councillors were considering several options for pay raises, including a proposal to increase elected officials pay $18,000 to $138,000 a year.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said on July 23 it would be inappropriate to consider a pay raise for elected officials at that time.

“I think we need to take a look around at what’s going on in the community right now. There’s an affordability crisis, there’s the prospect of significant federal job reductions, there are lineups at food banks,” Sutcliffe said.

Toronto councillors voted in March to increase their salaries by 24 per cent from $137,537 to $170,588. The Ford government unfroze Ontario MPP salaries held at $116,500 since 2009 last spring. MPPs saw a nearly $41,000 raise to a total of $157,350.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s William Eltherington and Kimberley Johnson