Metro Vancouver Directors Get Big Bucks

There has been lots of coverage on Metro Vancouver directors' pay and expense claims over the past week.

It started with this blog post by CityCaucus.com, lauding the Metro Vancouver Board for shutting down Vancouver Councillor David Cadman's high-flying ways as president of the International clean air cities bureau or something.

In that post, CityCaucus.com congratulated Langley City Councillor Gayle Martin for raising the issue at the Board level.

Then on Wednesday, the Langley Times reported that for the second straight year, Coun. Martin's Metro pay and expenses were the second highest of any official in the region. Apparently her Council colleague, Dave Hall, didn't like that, and the two had a bit of a skirmish at Monday night's Council meeting. (We have previously noted that Martin earns more from Metro Vancouver than she does from the City of Langley.)

After that article came to light, CityCaucus.com blogged a follow-up wondering if they were "too hasty" in praising Martin.

Today, the Times reported that Metro politicians collected more than $700,000 for attending Metro Vancouver meetings last year:

The amounts paid to Metro politicians had already been rising in recent years due in part to Jackson's creation of new committees and task forces, which increases the number of meetings held and fees paid. There are now 21 such bodies reporting to Metro's board, examining everything from regional culture to issues facing port cities.

In 2005, pay and expenses to Metro directors totalled $485,000.

Langley City Coun. Gayle Martin, who chairs Metro's parks committee, collected $30,990 for attending Metro meetings in 2008, plus $1,700 in expenses.

That's more than the $17,286 collected by Metro board vice-chair Richard Walton, mayor of the District of North Vancouver.

Surrey Coun. Marvin Hunt, chair of the waste management committee, was paid $22,248 plus $1,110 for expenses last year.

Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan, chair of the regional planning committee, received $20,984 for meeting attendance plus $3,500 in expenses.

Port Moody Mayor Joe Trasolini, who chairs the environment and energy committee, received $18,355 plus $5,671 for expenses.