Municipal election workers will be sent delayed pay by Friday: City of Calgary

Those who staffed Calgary polling stations during the recent municipal election can expect their overdue pay to arrive shortly.

The City of Calgary says the final batch of paycheques for election workers will be mailed out by Friday.

The announcement comes after several workers reported delays in receiving compensation for their time at the polls.

Reasons for delay

The original payment timeline provided by the city estimated cheques would be issued approximately six to eight weeks following the election; however, administrative hurdles pushed that back for many.

In a statement, city officials attributed the delay to the logistical challenges of managing two recounts.

“Normally, worker pay reconciliation begins immediately following the election but was delayed as a result of the requirement to recruit for approximately 500 workers involved in two recounts,” the city said.

“Additional time was also required to calculate final pay for election workers involved in the recounts (including training, hours worked, mileage and receipts as applicable).”

Payment status

Efforts to clear the backlog are currently underway:

• Last week, approximately 1,000 cheques were mailed; and
• On Friday, the remaining cheques will be sent out.

If it doesn’t arrive

If an election worker has not received their cheque by Dec. 31, they are encouraged to contact the elections office directly.

Workers can follow up by emailing [e-mail] or by calling 403-476-4100.