Toronto, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow to reject a proposed $7,600 increase to her salary as she tries to push through the largest property tax hike in Toronto history.

“The mayor says the city is broke and wants to impose a record property tax increase, yet she’s also asking for a raise,” said CTF Ontario Director Jay Goldberg. “If times for the city are this tough, Chow should be asking for a pay cut to stand in solidarity with Toronto taxpayers.”

Budget Chief Councillor Shelley Carroll announced last week that the city plans to raise property taxes by 10.5 per cent in 2024. She’s also warning that the increase could go up to 16.5 per cent if the federal government doesn’t provide extra funding to deal with housing for refugees.

“Under the budget plan announced last week, the average homeowner will see a $758 property tax increase,” said Goldberg. “With families stretched to the max with soaring living costs, Chow should be looking for ways to cut spending and that should start with leadership at the top.”

Chow’s present salary is nearly $217,000. That’s more than the $198,000 salary for the mayor of Ottawa, $146,000 for the mayor of Mississauga and $174,000 for the mayor of Hamilton.

“Chow is already one of the highest paid mayors in Canada and has the highest mayoral salary in the region,” said Goldberg. “If Chow even wants to think about shrinking the size of household budgets, she should take the lead by shrinking the size of her own.”