Thoughts on BC Politics and More

City councillors in Greater Vancouver have drawn attention to the outrageous salaries being paid to some mayors. According to Kash Heed, a Richmond councillor, the city’s mayor, Malcolm Brodie, took home nearly $380,000 in 2024.  And New Westminster Coun. Daniel Fontaine has pointed out that several regional mayors earn more than provincial cabinet ministers. In 2023, Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley pocketed $235,000. That same year, Delta Mayor George Harvey was paid $201,000, and Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West made $201,688. Some of those mayors may point out that they perform multiple functions. So do provincial cabinet ministers, yet in 2024 their salary stood at $180,000, well below some of those mayoral wage packages ... CLICK HERE for the full story

BC Conservative MLA Tony Luck is joining calls to rein in excessive mayoral salaries in Metro Vancouver, following a recent report by former Solicitor General Kash Heed recommending that municipal salaries be aligned with those of provincial cabinet ministers. “Taxpayers are tired of seeing public officials put themselves first,” said Luck. “At a time when families are struggling to afford groceries, housing, and basic services, it’s unacceptable that some mayors are pocketing $150,000 more than provincial cabinet ministers.” The report, commissioned by Metro Vancouver itself, highlights the growing pay gap between municipal leaders and senior government officials. Some mayors are now earning well over $300,000 annually, far surpassing the compensation of provincial cabinet ministers, who shoulder responsibility for entire ministries. “Let’s be clear: public service is about responsibility, not entitlement,” Luck said. “If the NDP government is serious about affordability, it should st...

Premier David Eby’s appointment of Surrey-Guildford MLA Garry Begg as BC’s solicitor general could signal that significant police reform is on the way, according to a former solicitor general. Kash Heed, a former police officer who was minister of public safety and a solicitor general under a BC Liberal government from 2009 to 2013, says the appointment of Begg has made him more encouraged than ever that substantive reform could take place, including a move to a provincial police force. Begg, a retired RCMP inspector who finished his nearly 40-year career in Surrey, was a member of a 10-person all-party committee of MLA recommended sweeping changes to policing in 2022, including dumping the RCMP and moving to a provincial police force as in Ontario and Quebec ... CLICK HERE for the full story