JASON SETNYK
Cornwall City Council voted 6-5 to approve phased salary increases for the next term of council, following a lengthy and at times emotional debate over fairness, affordability, and public perception.
The motion, introduced by Councillor Elaine MacDonald, will raise councillors’ annual base pay by $4,000 over four years through yearly increases of $1,000 beginning in 2027. The mayor’s annual base salary will increase by $17,000 over the same period through annual increases of $4,250. Future adjustments will also be tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), using the same formula applied to non-union municipal employees. Current annual salaries are $71,127 for the mayor and $27,827 for councillors.
Voting in favour were MacDonald and Councillors Claude McIntosh, Syd Gardiner, Sarah Good, Carilyne Hébert, and Denis Sabourin. Opposed were Mayor Justin Towndale and Councillors Todd Bennett, Maurice Dupelle, Dean Hollingsworth, and Fred Ngoundjo.
MacDonald argued the increase was necessary to bring Cornwall closer to comparable municipalities and described the current compensation levels as unfair. “The real shock was seeing the list of our comparators, to think that we are the lowest paid of all councillors and mayor in the comparator group,” said MacDonald. “This is not right, it’s not just, it’s not fair compensation for the work that we do.”
She said council routinely uses comparator municipalities and median compensation levels when negotiating contracts with employees and managers, and should apply the same principles to itself. “We try to avoid excesses, and we try to avoid deficiencies, and I believe we should apply that same principle to ourselves as councillors,” she said.
Hébert supported the motion, saying compensation affects who can realistically afford to serve in municipal government. “If we truly want people from different backgrounds, different age groups, working class residents, young parents, entrepreneurs, shift workers, and people with lower incomes, then compensation does matter,” Hébert said. “It may not be the reason someone runs, but it may be the reason somebody doesn’t.”
Hébert added that councillors oversee “a corporation with a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars” and roughly 1,000 employees, while balancing responsibilities involving infrastructure, emergency response, housing, transit, and recreation. Good also backed the motion, calling it a matter of fairness and representation. “We also have to recognize that in 2027, we are going to have two fewer council members sitting around this table,” Good said, referring to council’s planned reduction in size next term from ten to eight. “Even with these adjustments, the overall cost of council will go down, not up.”
Good, who said she would not seek re-election, also spoke about the personal sacrifices involved in public office. “We are giving up our evenings and our weekends, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve not been able to put my kid to bed,” she said. “If we make this role too difficult to take on financially, we’re limiting who can afford to serve.” Gardiner said he supported the motion despite expecting criticism. “We’re elected to make difficult decisions which are sometimes not popular,” Gardiner said. “This is fair compensation.”
Opponents argued the increases came at the wrong time financially. Ngoundjo pointed to the recent closure of Salvation Army services in Cornwall due to funding challenges. “This is not the right time,” Ngoundjo said repeatedly during debate. He proposed freezing council compensation for two years instead.
Hollingsworth used a sports analogy comparing NFL and CFL quarterbacks to argue that workload alone does not determine pay. “The ability to pay is part of the compensation negotiation,” Hollingsworth said. “I don’t believe the councillors need a pay raise.”
Towndale also voted against the motion, though he acknowledged many of the arguments in favour. “I ran for this position, and I accepted it,” Towndale said. “I knew what I was getting into.”
Towndale noted that council is required by the province to review remuneration every term, but said he was uncomfortable supporting increases while the city faces financial pressures. “I think everyone around this table does this because they believe in our community,” he said. “No one is here for the pay.”
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