Councillor wants city to be more transparent about former politicians' pensions

Twenty former members of Calgary city council collected pension payments in each of the past two years for their time in office.

But due to privacy considerations, the city will not reveal who actually received those payments.

Documents obtained by CBC News through a Freedom of Information request show the pension payments to the former politicians totalled $370,587.84 in 2018.

That was up from $321,052.12 paid to 20 former council members in 2017. 

However because the city redacted the names of the recipients, it's not known if the same 20 people collected payments in each year or if any of the payments were made to a surviving spouse of a deceased former council member.

Surviving spouses are entitled to two-thirds of the pension of a retired member after that person passes away.

In 2018, the individual payments for the year ranged from $4,700 to more than $57,000 to one ex-politician.

The provincial government annually publishes a list of payments made to former MLAs who paid into a pension plan prior to that benefit being done away with in the early 1990s. 

You can see that list here: 

The names are a matter of public record because legislation requires it. However, those rules don't apply to the city so it redacted the names of pension recipients using exemptions permitted by Alberta's Freedom of Information law.

Farkas wants more transparency

Coun. Jeromy Farkas said if publishing the information is allowed for former MLAs, the same standard should apply to retired municipal politicians.

"I happen to think that the cost of benefits, the compensation, all of the rest that's provided to elected officials, it should be public knowledge," said Farkas. "This should extend to things like pension payments."

He doesn't agree with the notion that former council members are entitled to a measure of privacy.

"I would argue when you put your name forward for public service, there's certain compromises that come as a result," said Farkas.

"When it comes to the taxpayers, particularly those who are supporting members of council through our salaries or retirement benefits or pensions, all the rest, that would be of public interest."

Farkas has submitted a motion for this week's council meeting, calling for a reduction in pensions for council members.

The councillor, who was first elected in 2017, chose to opt out of the council pension plan. 

Politicians and city both contribute to pensions

In its 2018 annual report, the city stated current council members paid $149,000 in pension contributions last year. The city contributed $310,000 in 2018 towards future pensions for the elected officials.

The city says for each year a council member serves, the retirement benefit will be two per cent of the member's best three year average earnings.

When they leave office, the former politicians can begin to collect their pension payments at age 60 or they can opt for a reduced pension at 55 years of age.

Although both the politicians and the city contribute to the pension plan, all payments actually come out of private pension fund.

Mayor unaware

In response to a question from the CBC, Mayor Naheed Nenshi said he was unaware that the city didn't make information public about pension payments to former council members. 

Like Farkas, he doesn't see any reason to withhold the names.

"We probably don't want to say how much everyone's getting every month but to have the names out there, I can't imagine why that would be a problem," said Nenshi.

"It's probably just bureaucracy."

But one former city councillor supports the city's decision to refuse to reveal how much former politicians are paid.

Would it just be 'public shaming'?

Brian Pincott served 10 years on council before not seeking re-election in 2017. 

He has not started collecting his council pension, but agrees the city shouldn't publish the names of pensioners or how much they are individually paid.

Pincott said there's no need to release any names. 

"What purpose does it serve? If it's nothing other than essentially public shaming or the potential of public shaming, then I don't see the point," said Pincott.

When they choose to run for public office, he said candidates know they'll need to give up a lot of their personal privacy.

"You are open to criticism, harassment, threats throughout your time and it isn't just 9 to 5. It is 24 hours a day," said Pincott.

But once they leave elected office, he said ex-politicians are entitled to more privacy than current elected officials.

He points out everyone who collects payments through the Canada Pension Plan is in part getting public money. 

"What's the difference for a city councillor than for somebody who's retired and collecting CPP? What's the difference between an elected official's retirement and somebody who's collecting employment insurance?" said Pincott.