One of the basic facts about democracy is that it costs money, and this week B.C. residents got an opportunity to see just how much their MLAs are costing them when the province’s public accounts committee released the figures for members’ compensation up to March 31.
The figures show Ron Cantelon pulled in a cool $101,859 as his base pay for sitting as the Parksville-Qualicum MLA last year.
Cantelon also received $15,028 for a capital city living allowance and an additional $16,578 for travel expenses. He was also paid $1,209 for his brief stint as minister of forests during that time, along with $20,372 for his service as Liberal caucus chair, for a total of $155,046.
The other MLA serving Oceanside constituents is Alberni-Pacific Rim MLA Scott Fraser, who pulled in a base salary of $101,859, along with $16,610 for a capital city living allowance and $24,628 for a travel allowance, for a total of $143,097.
The MLA who billed the most for travel expenses was Fraser-Nicola MLA Harry Lali, at $58,457, followed by Peace River North MLA Pat Pimm, at $56,223 and Cariboo North MLA Bob Simpson at $49,250.