Somebody asked

Regional Councillors, at last inquiry, are paid $50 thousand a year. Benefits to the value of $10 thousand are paid at the municipal level  on their behalf .

I gather it's an arrangement made between  Region and Municipality to allow benefits to be paid.

The  Mayor/ regional councillor is classified as an employee at the municipal level. There may be a reason they can't  do it at the Region.  I don't know what that might be.

The Region  compensates  the Municipality for the expenditure. Sounds needlessly complicated

It's a bit odd for a regional councillor ,who is also a municipal councillor, to be classified as an employee in order to  be included in the municipal benefits plan.

A municipal councillor is not classified as an employee doesn't  pay unemployment premiums and doesn't  receive benefits if  defeated.  Can  unemployment benefits be claimed  if you quit the job. Isn't there a penalty if you get fired?

There's  no severance pay at the municipal level. At least, not in Aurora. Can't speak for the rest.

I understand  severance  is paid to a defeated councillor and  one who retires voluntarily. I believe it's  a  month's salary for every year served.

Or maybe it's one for each term.  Na....it's probably a year. That's the standard  severance settlement.. Of course it's  usually paid if  termination is without cause. I don't know where that fits in a situation where a candidate is defeated for cause.

Mind you, a candidate could  lose an election because a challenger  fought a better campaign or had more money or something equally innocuous.

If  a judgement had to be made about such things to determine if severance pay was due or not, who  might be the right person to make it ?

Probably the CAO.

We  have given  Aurora's CAO  that kind of authority.

Obviously it's simpler just to give severance pay  to all  erstwhile regional councillors.. 

I wonder how  the  decision  about severance  was  made.  A  public debate or like that?  Don't remember ever hearing  about it.

It occurred to me this minute to wonder also , what would  Regional  Council  do if they ever got a petition of thousands from  several municipalities with a demand for election of chairperson?

Like Georgina got a petition. Georgina has two regional Councillors. Newmarket has  as well

The southern three municipalities have  more members than all six  in the north.

But  maybe residents in the south  might feel the same way about  electing a  Regional Chairperson.