IT'S not just our North Vancouver mayors who say their municipalities were blindsided by the three-years' worth of pay increases contained in the B.C. RCMP contract signed March 21 by B.C. Justice Minister Shirley Bond and federal Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews.
All across the Lower Mainland, municipal councils are venting their frustration that unexpected costs have been downloaded to municipal taxpayers by the federal government.
Toews has been quoted as saying the municipalities were advised months ago that raises on the order of 1.5 per cent were possible this year. But who exactly was advised and with what details? It is hard to reconcile Toews' statement with the fact that even Toryfriendly mayors are saying they were not consulted.
Yet consultation was one of the two sops that were thrown to the municipalities when the contract was signed on their behalf by Bond. The other, of course, is an opt-out option.
Likely that will be a topic of conversation among Metro mayors at an April 20 meeting called to discuss the RCMP contract and its implications.
The cost of the pay hike is roughly equivalent to a one per cent tax increase, according to Mayor Darrell Mussatto. Given that both municipalities have already shaped their budgets for this year, that is a pretty big hit and leaves both North Vancouver councils in the unenviable position of passing it on to overburdened taxpayers or cutting other services to pay for it.
Downloading isn't just about the money; it's about avoiding political backlash.
