Task Force Chair: Future city councillors should ‘hit pause’ on careers and focus on city hall full-time

A task force is recommending city councillors get a 35% raise next term, but aren’t required to work full time hours. CTV London’s Daryl Newcombe explains.

On Friday, London’s Council Resourcing Review Task Force wrapped up months of work by unanimously agreeing to 16 recommendations about how much money municipal politicians should be paid and the resources they’re provided while in office.

If supported by council next month, the most significant change would be a 35 per cent hike to the base pay for London’s 14 ward councillors next term.

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

In November 2026, the current policy would pay $69,783.

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

“They are ultimately responsible for a budget of more than billion dollars each year, so you want good people. You want to reward good people for their good work without paying them exorbitantly,” said Task Force Chair Martin Horak, Associate Professor of Political Science, Western University.

“I don’t think that the 70th percentile does (pay them exorbitantly).”

No increase is recommended for the mayor, but councillors who are chosen to chair standing committees would earn an extra four per cent ($97,991), and the deputy mayor and budget chair positions would pay an additional 8 per cent ($101,760).

Although the recommended compensation is based on full-time employment data, Horak acknowledges there’s no way to require that a councillor dedicate full-time hours to the role.

“We can’t really call it full-time in the standard sense because they don’t have a certain number of hours a week,” he explained.

“But what we do know is that in practice, councillors often work more than 40 hours a week, and that’s exactly what the public expects them to do.”

Four years ago, a task force also tried to emphasize that the position be considered a full-time role, but currently, several councillors continue to be employed in the private sector or own small businesses.

“We just don’t think, given what we’ve heard, that it’s possible to represent people well as a councillor in the City of London while doing other full-time gainful employment,” Horak said.

“The job is just too complicated. It’s too much work. The demands are too high.”

Horak goes one step further, suggesting that Londoners who are considering becoming candidates in the 2026 municipal election be prepared to pause their careers, if elected.

“The short answer is yes,” Horak said.

“If you’re going to be running for council in London the demands of the council jobs are such that you should expect to hit pause on other gainful employment. And we are making recommendations that will make it financially possible.”

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

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.

The 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,” it read.

The task force’s recommendations will be considered by the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee at the end of October.

Council will make a final decision in early November if any changes will be made to its compensation and expense policies.

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