Georgian Bluffs Endorses $96K Pay Adjustment After Compensation and Equity Review
Georgian Bluffs Council approved a $96,442 non-union pay increase—3.66% of payroll—based on Gallagher Benefit Service Group’s compensation and pay equity recommendations.
Georgian Bluffs Council has approved an updated salary grid for non-union employees following a comprehensive compensation and pay equity review conducted by Gallagher Benefit Services Group.
The decision came after a presentation to council on October 1 from Gallagher vice-president Jane Mizanski, who outlined the firm’s findings and recommendations.
The Township retained Gallagher through a request-for-proposals process to review compensation for 31 non-union positions and to ensure salaries are competitive, internally equitable, and compliant with Ontario’s Pay Equity Act.
The last full compensation review was completed in 2018, followed by a 2021 market review and the adoption of a pay policy targeting the 60th percentile of comparable municipalities.
Mizanski noted that Georgian Bluffs has faced unusually high turnover in recent years—56% in 2023 and 26% in 2024—which can indicate that pay levels are not keeping pace with the broader municipal labour market.
“The municipal labour market across Canada has been very robust and aggressive,” she said, pointing to retirements among Baby Boomers as a major factor driving vacancies and competition for skilled employees.
The Gallagher report recommended implementing a new 10-band salary grid that maintains alignment with the 60th percentile of comparable Ontario municipalities, including Meaford, Grey Highlands, South Bruce Peninsula, and Saugeen Shores.
The new grid is pay equity compliant and will result in an estimated $96,442 annual increase to the Township’s 2025 payroll, equivalent to a 3.66% overall adjustment.
The cost for a partial-year implementation beginning October 6, 2025, is projected at $24,110, or 0.91% of payroll.
The largest adjustment, at 17%, applies to the top salary band. Deputy Mayor Grant Pringle questioned the increase, asking whether Georgian Bluffs had fallen behind on leadership pay.
Mizanski said the increase aligns with sector-wide market shifts and reflects the need to stay competitive for senior leadership positions, which have become difficult to recruit for across the municipal sector.
Councillor Tobin Day noted she was pleased to see that the lowest wage in the proposed grid exceeds the Grey Bruce Living Wage of $23.93 per hour, as defined by the United Way of Bruce Grey.
The motion to receive the report and implement its recommendations was moved by Councillor Rick Winters and seconded by Councillor Isaac Shouldice. The motion carried, with Councillor Cathy Moore Coburn absent from the meeting.
The updated salary grid will take effect October 6, 2025.
Owen Sound undertook a similar market review last year as part of its Service Review Project. City Manager Tim Simmonds said the review, also conducted with support from Gallagher, examined compensation and benefits across nine comparator organizations.
The results, presented in 2024, led to the implementation of a new Salary Administration Policy that sets the City’s pay target at the 55th percentile of comparable municipalities—slightly below the 60th percentile target of Georgian Bluffs.
The accompanying vacation policy was updated to provide improved entitlements on a budget-neutral basis. The total cost of implementing Owen Sound’s new pay policy was $84,783.