VICTORIA - A report commissioned by British Columbia's government takes aim at what it calls unlimited and unregulated wage policies within municipal governments.
The Ernst and Young report compiled as part of the government's core review program concludes salaries for municipal employees increased by 38 per cent from 2001 to 2012 while government and public sector salaries rose between 19 per cent and 24 per cent during the period.
The report, which was obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation, concludes that taxpayers who shoulder these increases could be granted some needed relief if municipalities held the line on salary hikes.
The federation says the findings are an example of out-of-control spending by many local governments.
Federation spokesman Jordan Bateman says the B.C. government has convinced thousands of public-sector workers to accept low-wage contracts, while municipalities, with the exception of Prince George and Penticton, grant workers increases every year.
The report comes just a few month before municipal elections across the province, and Bateman says every candidate should read the report and indicate to voters how they would better manage labour costs.
