DATA: See the pay of every Fraser Valley mayor and councillor

This is the first story in a four-part series on the pay of Fraser Valley politicians. Part 1: See every mayor and councillor’s pay | Part 2: The case for higher politician pay | Part 3: The leapfrog effect: how cities set their leaders’ wages | Part 4: See the expense tallies of every Fraser Valley mayor and councillor

If you’re going to be a local politician in the Fraser Valley, it pays to be in Langley.

Of the region’s 20 highest-paid politicians, half are located in the two Langley municipalities. And although the City of Langley is the fifth-largest city in the region, its councillors are some of the best-paid in the valley.

The Current has compiled the combined pay—both that received for local council duties and money made by sitting on regional bodies—of the 74 Fraser Valley municipal politicians in 2024. And the list sheds a light both on Langley City’s generous pay package, and on the high daily wages Metro Vancouver politicians receive for spending time in regional district meetings.

Note: The following story compares data for politicians within the Fraser Valley Current’s coverage area—Langley east to Hope and the Fraser Canyon. Maple Ridge is not included within this coverage area. Langley City and Langley Township are members of Metro Vancouver Regional District and appoint members to that regional district’s board. All of the other municipalities are located within the Fraser Valley Regional District area, and appoint directors to that regional body’s board. Large municipalities like Abbotsford and Chilliwack have many more seats on the FVRD board than small communities like Hope and Kent.

The mayors

The five highest-paid Fraser Valley politicians are, predictably, the mayors of the region’s five largest municipalities: Abbotsford, Langley Township, Chilliwack, Mission, and Langley City (ordered here, by size). Those mayors are also the only five municipal politicians with total pay—their mayoral salary plus regional governance board pay—that exceeds $100,000.

Langley Township Mayor Eric Woodward easily made the most, with his total pay coming in at $228,000. Of that figure, about $169,000 was for his mayoral role and another $40,000 came from his participation at Metro Vancouver meetings. (More on those later.) He made another $19,000 more for serving on TransLink’s mayor’s council.

Although the pay of politicians typically tracks their community’s population—with the representatives of bigger cities making more money—the second-highest-paid Fraser Valley politician came from the Fraser Valley’s fifth-largest municipality.

Indeed, Langley City Mayor Nathan Pachal made considerably more than much larger cities to the east—especially once additional duties on regional governance bodies were included.

Pachal made about $165,000 in total last year, putting him well behind Woodward, but above the mayors of Mission, Chilliwack, and even Abbotsford. (Langley City has about 33,600 people, Mission has roughly 45,500, Chilliwack has approximately 101,900 residents, and Abbotsford is home to about 167,000 people.)

The discrepancies between the salaries of the Langley mayors and those in the Fraser Valley partially comes down to the high meeting rates that members of the Metro Vancouver and TransLink Mayor’s Council boards receive. Woodward pocketed nearly $60,000 for serving on the two boards, while Pachal received a combined $25,825. Board members can make up to $1,000 a day, or $525 for a half-day’s worth of meetings.

Langley City also pays its mayor generously, compared to other Fraser Valley cities.

Pachal’s pay just for his mayoral duties was $40,000 more than Mission Mayor Paul Horn and slightly more than Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove. Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens was paid more than Pachal for his municipal duties, but he took home less overall because Fraser Valley Regional District pay is far less than wages for serving on Metro Vancouver’s board and committees. Horn, meanwhile, received about $18,000 for serving on the FVRD board, plus about $10,000 for serving on BC Transit’s board.

(Langley City’s politician pay structure predates Pachal’s election as mayor, while other board fees are set by the representative organizations. Municipalities have different methods to set their politicians’ pay. We’ll explore that, and talk to Pachal, in a future story.)

The mayors of the valley’s three smaller municipalities—Kent, Hope, and Harrison Hot Springs all made much less.

Last year, Sylvia Pranger was paid just over $60,000, in total, though nearly one-third of that came from the Fraser Valley Regional District. Harrison Hot Springs Mayor Ed Wood’s mayoral salary was just under $42,000—just a little less than Pranger’s, but Wood had no regional district role. Meanwhile, Hope Mayor Victor Smith took home about $49,000, in total. About $14,000 of that was paid for serving on the FVRD board. Smith was paid only $34,676 as mayor. That puts his wages well below not only other Fraser Valley mayors, but also every councillor in Chilliwack, Abbotsford, and the Langleys. His combined mayor and FVRD pay was almost identical to that of Mission councillors who did not serve in any regional capacity.

The councillors

Top five (see bottom of story for comprehensive list)

A breakdown of pay for the Fraser Valley’s councillors highlights the comparatively lucrative pay for Metro Vancouver board members, as was noted among the mayors.

Across the region, no councillor made more money last year than Langley Township’s Steve Ferguson.

As a Langley Township councillor, Ferguson made about $63,000—a figure lower than his fellow Township colleagues (precise pay is linked to time served as deputy mayor), and slightly above counterparts to the east in Abbotsford. But Ferguson also took home $35,700 for serving on the board of Metro Vancouver.

Combined, the two jobs netted Ferguson $98,463.

Whereas Fraser Valley Regional District directors are paid a fixed sum, plus additional money for chairing meetings, Metro Vancouver pays board members for each meeting they attend. Members can make up to $1,050 for meetings lasting longer than four hours. So Metro Vancouver board members can take home much larger sums than their Fraser Valley colleagues, especially if they serve on committees with lengthy meetings.

Ferguson edged out Chilliwack Coun. Jason Lum as the region’s highest-compensated non-mayoral local politician. Lum, who made $54,516 as a Chilliwack councillor, is the long-time chair of the Fraser Valley Regional District. Last year, Lum made $40,000 more for his duties as chair, a position with duties similar to that of mayor. His FVRD pay was slightly less than that of Taryn Dixon, the director for Electoral Area H, and slightly above the $38,003 made by directors for other electoral areas. (By comparison, the chair of Metro Vancouver made about $111,000; the vice-chair made about $64,000. The director of Metro Vancouver’s lone electoral area made about $72,000.)

Like the pay of its mayor, Langley City’s councillors are also comparatively well-compensated, with base pay exceeding colleagues in Abbotsford, Mission, and Chilliwack. Langley City Coun. Paul Albrecht was the region’s third-highest-paid non-mayor, with just shy of $65,000 in council pay. That was boosted by nearly $28,000 for attending Metro Vancouver meetings.

No other councillors made more than $90,000 last year. Only one—Abbotsford Coun. Patricia Ross—made more than $80,000. Ross squeaked over that marker thanks in part to a $22,000 top-up for serving as the FVRD’s vice-chair.

Why it matters

The gap between politician pay in Langley and the rest of the Fraser Valley is real—even as it is of limited consequence to the tax bills of local residents. Politician compensation and expenses in Langley City last year added up to less than $600,000—less than one per cent of all the municipality’s spending. In larger municipalities, the share was even less. In every municipality, the local governments top bureaucrats make considerably more than their political bosses.

Tomorrow, The Current will talk to Langley City Nathan Pachal, who believes higher politician pay comes with benefits for communities.

In recent decades, pay for local politicians has increased faster than the rate of inflation—and the wages of residents themselves. Behind many of those hikes are comparative analyses that leave local governments playing a game of council pay leapfrog. Later this week, we will have a story on the policies used by municipalities to set political pay, and how one Fraser Valley city has come up with a new way to set the pay of its politicians.

The list

This is the first story in a four-part series on the pay of Fraser Valley politicians. Part 1: See every mayor and councillor’s pay | Part 2: The case for higher politician pay | Part 3: The leapfrog effect: how cities set their leaders’ wages | Part 4: See the expense tallies of every Fraser Valley mayor and councillor