How much municipal politicians should be paid is a thorny question on the campaign trail
CBC
The municipal election campaign is underway and ultimately the hundreds of people running for mayor or council in northeastern Ontario are applying for a job.
One of the trickiest decisions they'll face is how much they should be paid.
Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger, who is running for a third term against eight challengers, faced criticism this term after his salary, including benefits, jumped up to $228,000.
He says this was because of a change in federal income tax law, where municipal politicians were no longer exempt and city council decided to increase the pay for mayor and councillors so their take-home pay wouldn't take a hit.
Bigger — who pointed out that former MP Paul Lefebvre, now one of his main rivals in the mayor's race, voted for "downloading" those costs to Sudbury taxpayers — says he doesn't believe that higher pay attracts better candidates.
"I'll say you have a very good candidate here in the incumbent," he said, referring to himself.
"If I went to the private sector, I could be earning significantly more and yet it's an honour to serve the people of Sudbury."
Bigger says he doesn't think voters are worried about how much he makes and that certain "hateful" Facebook pages are trying to make it an election issue.
But other candidates feel how much politicians are paid is an important issue in this election.
"I think, and I've been there, for the amount of work that the councillors do, they're overpaid," said Ozzie Grandinetti, a former Sault Ste. Marie city councillor, now running for mayor.
"I've always said, most of these elected officials, whether you're federal, provincial or municipal, they're not there for the people that vote them in. They're there for themselves."
Grandinetti, who says he's heard from a lot of voters frustrated that their city councillors don't answer their messages, says he would freeze salaries at $82,000 for the mayor and around $24,000 for council, plus donate 10 per cent of his pay to charity.
Andrew Marks has served five terms on Timmins city council and is going for a sixth. He earns about $22,000 a year, but says he would do it for free.
"Yes I would. I came back to Timmins wanting to make a difference and it's never wavered from that," he said.
Canada is preparing for U.S. President Donald Trump to hit the country with potentially devastating tariffs on Tuesday, but the federal government and the premiers say they are in the dark about what will actually materialize and how high those promised levies will be.
Former P.E.I. Premier Dennis King has been appointed as Canada's new ambassador to Ireland, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday in a news release.
Oxford and Elgin counties have the highest number of measles cases in the country, the province's public health agency says, as local medical officials warn of more possible exposures to the deadly virus.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford will take questions from media Monday for the first time since his Progressive Conservatives won their third-straight majority in a snap election last week.
Newfoundland and Labrador is staring down federal, provincial, and municipal elections in the next eight months, but for one new Canadian the opportunity to vote is something she's not taking for granted.
Even with a dirt trench running down the hallway, and exposed wires and pipes hanging from the ceiling, it still kind of looks like an elementary school.
Some of the most affordable rental housing in Nova Scotia is rapidly becoming less so, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data analyzed by CBC News.
A two-time federal Conservative candidate in Miramichi says he doesn't think current party MP Jake Stewart can win again in a federal election that is expected to start within weeks.
Quebec municipalities and human rights groups are voicing concerns about proposed legislation that would require newcomers to abide by a set of common values.
Amazon and Walmart Canada have so far ignored the NDP government's requests to restrict the online sale of machetes to Manitobans, the province says.
Saskatoon city council is seeking money to crack down on unlicensed short-term rentals in the city, like those on AirBnB and VRBO, amid an active moratorium on licensing certain new short-term rentals.
When Kwaku Ayisi lost a friend who hadn't even reached 40 to breast cancer, it inspired him to look at the barriers Black women face in Saskatchewan's breast-health system.
A northern Alberta town is losing its only family doctor clinic and officials are trying to find solutions before the doors close for good at the end of May.