The status quo will continue for Prince George City Council when it comes to their pay.
At tonight’s (Monday) meeting, Council was presented with options regarding Council Remuneration.
These came from an Advisory Committee on Council Remuneration, who met four times in the final few months of 2025.
Their recommendations included a performance-based model, with metrics to be determined by Council, or a model where Mayor and Council remuneration is tied to a percentage of that of a Provincial Minister and MLA respectively.
The Committee also recommended these future reviews not be conducted by a committee of public members.
“Two members were prominently exposed in the media, and then furthermore, trashed on a social media platform, to the point where one member was at risk of losing their employment because of the public exposure of the committee. That exposure was scary and unwarranted,” said Denis Gendron, who chaired the Advisory Committee on Council Remuneration.
“Furthermore, I was very disappointed that members of Council, who went on social media, distanced themselves from the Committee.”
City Manager Walter Babicz said there would be challenges with a performance-based model.
“There’s no province-wide statutory framework that defines performance criteria for local elected officials, so defining good performance in a local elected official context, not as clear as what it would be in for directors in a business corporation, where good performance is often tied to profits or share price,” Babicz said.
Babicz put forward three options to Council: maintain the status quo, maintain the status quo without the committee, or to come up with a new formula to determine Mayor and Council remuneration.
Mayor Simon Yu reiterated this change in remuneration would take effect for the next City Council, and expressed a desire to stay with the status quo.
Councillor Tim Bennett, appearing at the meeting virtually, said this Committee gained a lot of attention, and can understand why the Committee wouldn’t want to put anyone else through that.
“Saying that, I think it’s incredibly important that the Committee continues on, so that members of the public do have the opportunity to have their say and opportunity to help shape remuneration for Council,” he said.
“I don’t think that necessarily should just live with Council, and I think that needs to be put together and recommendations from the public through that Committee process.”
Bennett also put forward continuing with the status quo on the floor.
Councillor Garth Frizzell disagreed.
“You didn’t ask for the feedback, the misinformation, or the bullying that was done online and the story you just told about someone risking their job to simply do a task for the City, it’s wrong,” Frizzell said directly to Gendron.
“It is wrong and it shouldn’t be done that way. If there’s people to be called out, that’s what these political seats are for.”
He said he would put forward a motion to have the Committee removed from the bylaw.
Frizzell said raises have been consistent for the last three elections, and another one isn’t needed right now.
Councillor Cori Ramsay had a different perspective.
Ramsay started by saying she was appalled by the Committee’s experience.
“I think it’s incredibly unfortunate that hard working people in our community who have put their name forward to do volunteer work that is, frankly, quite challenging. To be just dragged online and bullied is very frustrating,” she said.
Ramsay added it’s frustrating to see that Prince George City Council is not being remunerated at the same level of peer municipalities.
“To do this job, I take 104 days off work, unpaid, per term, just to come to Council meetings,” she said.
“It is a loss of personal income, it’s a loss of pensionable earnings, and I’m not made whole to do this job. I love this job, this job is great, it’s something that I feel very rewarded over, but at the end of the day, Council is not remunerated equitably among our peers.”
Councillor Susan Scott said she wouldn’t be accepting a raise.
“Just as we sat at this table for two days last week and looked people in the eye and said, tighten your belt, I feel that’s what I’m going to do tonight,” she said.
Councillor Ron Polillo said what he saw online regarding the Committee wasn’t right.
“Whether it’s contentious or not, we all are human, and we all have to treat each other with respect, and dignity, and some of the stuff that I read there was absolutely horrific,” he said.
“If you at all were responsible for that, I think you really need to look within yourself, and re-evaluate a lot of things.”
Polillo added he agreed with Councillor Scott, and that City Council has to do their part as well.
Councillor Kyle Sampson said there’s been a declining interest in people in volunteering for City Committee’s and this situation was likely an indication as to why.
“Those frustrations should be directed at me and my colleagues, this is our job, not the volunteer committee members,” he said.
He said he’s comfortable where Council is right now with remuneration.
Council voted to receive the report for information, with only Councillor Ramsay opposed.
Additionally, Councillor Frizzell put forward having the section in the Remuneration Bylaw returned with options to remove or revise the section regarding the Quadrennial Review in such a way the work can be done without making the neutral volunteer committees targeted and vilified.
This motion was passed, with Mayor Yu and Councillor Bennett opposed.
Councillor Brian Skakun was absent from the meeting. Councillor Trudy Klassen appeared virtually for some items on the agenda, but not this one.
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