The City of Vancouver’s employee earning the fattest bank last year was city manager Paul Mochrie, who was paid over $300,000.
Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart was paid $178,000 in 2021, according to financial statements released Wednesday but that didn’t earn him a spot in the big ballers club for highest-paid staff at city hall.
However there’s near 75 other people working at city hall raking in more doe than the mayor, with city manager Paul Mochrie at the top of the list with $332,600.
In 2020 Mochrie served as deputy city manager and then interim city manager replacing city manager Sadhu Johnston in January last year.
Nick Kassam, general manager of real estate and facilities, earned $327,700, and CFO Patrice Impey earned $303,500 also made it in the top list.
Highest-paid city of Vancouver staff
Salaries of the top-paid staff at Vancouver city hall in 2021.
- Paul Mochrie $332,616
- Nick Kassam, GM, real estate $327,774
- Patrice Impey, CFO $303,535
- Francie Connell, City solicitor $302,735
- Sandra Singh, GM, arts & culture $296,815
- Karen Levitt, deputy city manager $293,626
- Lon Laclaire, GM, engineering $284,145
- Donnie Rosa, GM, parks & rec $274,629
- Theresa O’Donnell, director of planning $255,074
- Andrew Nakalicki, chief HR officer $242,836
Data source City of Vancouver
The city’s total payroll last year was just over $586 million, with another $1.3 million in staff expenses.
“The city’s financial position and outlook improved throughout 2021 as provincial restrictions eased and facilities and programs reopened,” said a city news release.
“The city’s financial position remains healthy as reflected in its credit ratings,” it read, noting that several credit-rating agencies gave the city a AAA mark — the highest available — with “a stable outlook.”
- Kennedy Stewart $178, 473
- Sarah Kirby-Yung $103.216
- Adriane Carr $102,998
- Pete Fry $99,720
- Melissa De Genova $99,720
- Rebecca Bligh $99,484
- Michael Wiebe $96,442
- Colleen Hardwick $96,442
- Christine Boyle $96,442
- Lisa Dominato $93,164
- Jean Swanson $89,886
How much city council gets paid
Vancouver Mayor and city councillor salaries for 2021.
The salaries of city council members ranged from $89,800 for Jean Swanson to $103,200 for Sarah Kirby-Yung, who also serves as deputy mayor.
Discretionary expenses, or costs incurred by the mayor and councillors while carrying out constituency activities, totalled $877,200 last year, though nearly 90% of that came from the Mayor’s Office, which uses those funds to pay staff and consultants, among other things.
Councillors Colleen Hardwick and Melissa De Genova had the highest discretionary expenditures, excluding the mayor, at $30,500 and $25,000, respectively, far exceeding the $3,200 median for councillors. Councillors, unlike the mayor, are not permitted to use the discretionary budget for staff expenses.
In 2019, council voted to boost the discretionary budget from a maximum of $6,000 a year to $30,000 a year.
In 2021, park board commissioners were paid a total of $130,400. The police board’s remuneration ranged from less than $500 to $10,500, for a total of $59,700.
The city’s budget surplus for 2021 was $8.7 million, slightly more than the $8.1 million surplus for 2020. The excess was mostly derived from assets such as land, buildings, infrastructure, and equipment, according to the announcement.
The Vancouver Charter requires the city to run a balanced operating budget each year.
