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EDITORIAL: Metro money

Civic politicians who attend Metro Vancouver board meetings got a small wage hike for their work on behalf of citizens and while they didn't vote on the 2.

Civic politicians who attend Metro Vancouver board meetings got a small wage hike for their work on behalf of citizens and while they didn't vote on the 2.3% increase - it was implemented according to a preset formula - directors will still get some flack for the pay hike.

They'll be pilloried because the $354 they receive for every meeting up to four hours (it doubles after four hours) is way more money than what most citizens are getting.

The hourly rate for these directors will now be over $88 - about four times as much as most people in B.C. are getting in their pay packet, according to Stats Canada. The latest wage survey says the average hourly rate for union employees in B.C. is $28 an hour, compared to a $22-an-hour average for non-union workers and $16.74 for people in sales and service jobs.

Do Metro Van directors do important work? Yes. But their level of pay is excessive and divorced from the daily reality of the people they serve.