COCHRANE - The Town of Cochrane paid just over $45,000 in conference expenses for council in 2023.
A report containing Cochrane’s monthly council expenses for 2023 was brought forward at a regular meeting on Feb. 13.
Last year, the amount each councillor spent attending conferences is:
- Coun. France Bouvier - $3,145 to attend Association française des muncipalités de l'Ontario (AFOM), Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) and NorthEastern Ontario Municipal Association (NEOMA).
- Coun. Daniel Brunet - $6,889 to attend Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), FONOM, Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) and Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA).
- Coun. Marck Recoskie - $3,875 to attend AMO, NEOMA and Ontario Good Roads Association (OGRA).
- Mayor Peter Politis - $25,403 to attend AFOM, AMO, FENOM, Health, LOCALM, Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC), OGRA, PDAC, NEOMA and ROMA.
- Coun. Rodey Hoogenhoud - $2,382 to attend ROMA.
- Coun. Susan Nelson - $3,136 to attend AMO, police and LOCALM
- Coun. Sylvie Charron-Lemieux - $183 to attend OGRA.
The total spent on conference expenses is $45,014.
During the Feb. 13 meeting, Charron-Lemieux said she noticed the numbers of those attending conferences is “very high.”
“Now that may change this year because we’ve all been to a bunch but I think it’s something we need to keep an eye on,” she said.
The base salary for councillors is $11,100 and the mayor's salary is $25,399. In addition to that, members may also receive other benefits.
In 2023, the amount each councillor took home is:
- Bouvier - $12,224
- Brunet - $12,073
- Recoskie - $12,061
- Politis - $27,070
- Hoogenhoud - $12,013
- Nelson - $12,219
- Charron-Lemieux - $12,108
The total spent on payroll is $99,767.
The base wage for each councillor is $11,100. The base wage for the mayor is $24,399.96.
Read the full report here.
