Why don't we know how much these people make?

Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre, Public Utilities Commission and the Economic Development Corp. currently are not required to disclose executive salaries. Two city councillors are asking to change that.

Completely irrelevant file photo showing attractive people who aren't from anywhere around here and don't work for the Innovation Centre, PUC or EDC.

Two city councillors are pushing for public disclosure of all salaries over $100,000 at Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre, Public Utilities Commission and the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corp.

Ward 3 Councillor Matthew Shoemaker and Ward 1 Councillor Steve Butland point out that the three entities are all wholly or partly funded or owned by the city, but are not required to disclose executive salaries.

The councillors are calling for all salaries and taxable benefits over $100,000 to be reported to the city's finance department by March 1 of each year.

The information would be included in an annual report to City Council.

"I see this simply as one way to ensure local taxpayers know how their money is being used," Shoemaker said. "Since all municipal and provincial employees have to disclose their salaries, I don't think it's right that being one step or link removed from the municipality allows these agencies to get around the disclosure obligations."

The following is the full text of a resolution on the agenda for Monday's meeting of City Council.

The meeting will be livestreamed on SooToday/LOCAL2.

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Public salary disclosure

Mover: Councillor M. Shoemaker

Seconder: Councillor S. Butland

Whereas the Corporation of the City of Sault Ste. Marie is required by provincial legislation to disclose the salaries and taxable benefits of its employees making more than $100,000 per year; and

Whereas it is in the interest of transparency to the local taxpayers that the City knows how organizations relying on municipal taxpayer funding are using such funding; and

Whereas the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (Innovation Centre), the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC) are in whole or in part owned or funded by the City of Sault Ste. Marie taxpayers; and

Whereas the Innovation Centre, the EDC and the PUC do not currently disclose the salaries of their employees making more than $100,000 per year;

Now therefore be it resolved that henceforth, the Innovation Centre, the EDC and the PUC be required to disclose the salaries and taxable benefits of their employees making $100,000 per year to the City of Sault Ste. Marie finance

department by March 1 of each year for the previous calendar year;

Further be it resolved that such information, once received by the Corporation of the City of Sault Ste. Marie, shall form the basis of a report to council as information by March 31 of each year.

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