Policy · Freeze Council Pay · Ward 2 Freeze Council Salaries Joshua Glover  |  Candidate for Councillor, Ward 2

Update: After this piece was first published, Clarington’s CAO clarified that the “Salary” lines in the Municipality’s Q1 2026 expenditure report summarized a broader payroll and benefits section, not base salary alone. The figures and comparisons below have been revised to the base-salary amounts the Municipality has now provided.

Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail.

Part of my preparation for Municipal Council has involved studying the history of local government in Ontario. I am an avid reader of Canadian history, and I have long believed that there is nothing new in the world except the history you don’t already know.

There is also a local history I know not only from study, but from experience: public governance in Clarington. My experience began in 2022 when I was elected Clarington’s Catholic school trustee. A defining responsibility of governing the school board was overseeing an annual budget of over $240 million—nearly $79 million larger than the municipal budget of Clarington.

As Councillor, my experience scrutinizing public budgets will be an asset. In reviewing Clarington’s municipal budget schedules, I see familiar fiscal patterns and challenges that I have encountered before.

While I was on the school board, executive compensation was one such issue. The salary for the Director of Education increased by $71,554 over three years. I was opposed to executive salary raises because the board was projecting an operational deficit and student testing scores were declining. My position was that the money spent raising the Director’s salary to $268,861 was better suited supporting the moral imperative of student achievement.

I was reminded of this experience while analyzing Clarington’s municipal budget. The Municipality’s Q1 2026 expenditure report listed $175,889 for the Mayor and $80,449 for each Councillor under the heading “Salary.” I reported those figures and questioned the increases they appeared to represent.

Clarington’s CAO, Mary-Anne Dempster, has since explained that the original public document summarized the broader payroll and benefits section under the word “salary,” which she acknowledged “created the confusion.” The Municipality has now advised that the 2026 Clarington base salary is $143,573 for the Mayor and $57,429 for a Councillor.

That clarification allows a direct comparison of base-salary rates. In 2023, the Municipality reported the Mayor’s base salary as $97,359 and a Councillor’s base salary as $38,944. Compared with the figures now provided for 2026, the increases remain substantial:

Mayor: $97,359 → $143,573 — an increase of $46,214, or 47.5%

Councillor: $38,944 → $57,429 — an increase of $18,485, or 47.5%

I appreciate the CAO providing this clarification. I have not spoken to the Mayor or Councillors about the reasoning behind these changes in Council compensation. But as someone with direct experience in public governance, you would be hard-pressed to convince me that increasing Council salaries should take priority while Clarington faces an estimated $10.4 million annual infrastructure funding gap.

Council Salary Increases: By the Numbers

Under Ontario’s two-tier municipal system, Clarington’s Mayor and two Regional Councillors serve on both Clarington Council and Durham Regional Council and receive compensation for each office. Local Ward Councillors serve only on Clarington Council.

Clarington’s $57,429 local base salary also applies to Local Ward Councillors, who do not hold seats on Durham Regional Council.

Note: Amounts are lower-tier base salaries as clarified by the Municipality and upper-tier remuneration statements for base compensation only. They exclude vehicle allowances, mileage, conference travel, committee per diems, and employer-paid health benefits. The Q1 2026 report’s higher “Salary” lines reflected a broader payroll and benefits presentation, not base salary alone.

Sources & verification (base compensation only): Municipality of Clarington clarification of Q1 2026 Quarterly Expense Report figures • Clarington 2024–2027 Multi-Year Budget • Municipality of Clarington Annual Council Remuneration Statement (Report FSD-011-26) • Regional Municipality of Durham Treasurer’s Annual Remuneration Statement (s. 284(1) Municipal Act)

Policy Commitments

When elected Ward 2 Councillor, I will forward a motion to:

Freeze Council compensation. An immediate four-year freeze on the compensation paid by the Municipality of Clarington to all seven members of Council for the 2026–2030 term.

Establish an Independent Citizen Remuneration Committee. Take compensation decisions out of Council’s hands. Delegate reviews to a citizen panel of local residents, CPAs, and HR professionals.

Cap future salary adjustments at CPI. Following the 2026–2030 freeze, any future adjustment to Council compensation will be capped at CPI, preventing discretionary market adjustments above the rate of inflation.

During my time as a school board trustee, I developed a record for coming to meetings prepared, knowing the material, and bringing meticulous attention to the details of budgets, staff reports, and administrative decisions. I am pleased that this scrutiny has helped bring greater clarity to how Council salary costs are presented to the public. Clarington residents can expect that same standard when I am elected Ward 2 Councillor.

On October 26, vote Joshua Glover for Peace, Order, and Good Governance.