By: Michael Bennett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Ridgetown Independent News
Chatham-Kent Council received the annual Statement of Remuneration and Expenses for elected and appointed officials at the March 23 meeting.
The Municipal Act requires an itemized statement of remuneration and expenses paid to each member of Council and appointee of Council for the preceding year by March 31.
The total for the 2025 Council remuneration and expenses was $1,007,085, which was $37,265 below the budgeted $1,044,350.
Rhonda Jubenville, Ward 4 North Councillor, received the highest pay of the 17 councillors. However, her $45,043 pay included funds reimbursed following a successful appeal of a 2024 two-month pay suspension.
Ward 3 East Kent’s John Wright and Morena McDonald, along with the other 14 councillors, all received $41,921 in 2025, for a combined total of $848,412.
The Honorarium Related Benefit for Councillors includes a 7.40% pooled benefit charge covering the cost of the Canada Pension Plan and the Employer Health Tax, which works out to $3,103 per councillor.
Chatham-Kent Mayor Canniff’s pay was listed at $132,632, with his 25.64% in pooled benefits totalling $22,561.
Councillors and the mayor are also reimbursed for office equipment, including cell phones, computer workstations, and other telecommunications expenses. They also received reimbursement for travel and car allowance expenses.
Wright was one of three councillors who did not charge for any travel expenses – along with Ward 6 Chatham’s Conor Allin and Jubenville – while Ward 5’s Aaron Hall only put in for $20.
Wright recorded the fourth-lowest total expenses at $769.
Jubenville had the lowest total expenses at $642, while Allin was the second-lowest at $748, with Ward 6’s Marjorie Crew claiming $758.
Ward 6 Chatham Councillor Alysson Storey had the highest travel and car allowance payment of $13,548, followed by Ward 1 West Kent Councillor Lauren Anderson at $11.351 and Canniff at $9,962.
Storey serves on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, while Anderson is on the Great Lakes Cities Initiative, and both members incur additional conference-related expenses as appointed representatives to external boards.
Storey’s total includes $3,019 in 2024 expenses processed in 2025.
Ward 4 North Kent Councillor Jamie McGrail is an appointed representative on the Rural Ontario Municipal Association, the only board among these appointments that provides reimbursement for all conference-related expenses, except meals.
The following are the expenses paid out to the other 15 Councillors, with office expenses listed first and travel expenses second.
Ward 1 – West Kent
Lauren Anderson – $788 and $11,351
Melissa Harrigan – $839 and $3,642
Ward 2 – South Kent
Anthony Ceccacci – $723 and $4,838
Ryan Doyle – $693 and $682
Trevor Thompson – $830 and $807
Ward 3 – East Kent
Morena McDonald – $753 and $3,319
John Wright – $769 and $0
Ward 4 – North Kent
Rhonda Jubenville – $642 and $0
Jamie McGrail – $648 and $1,315
Ward 5 – Wallaceburg
Aaron Hall – $1,435 and $20
Carmen McGregor – $1,190 and $4,992
Ward 6 – Chatham
Conor Allin – $748 and $0
Michael Bondy – $807 and $4,969
Marjorie Crew – $648 and $101
Amy Finn – $786 and $1,845
Brock McGregor – $726 and $3,227
Alysson Storey – $865 and $13,548
Mayor
Darrin Canniff – $4,622 and $9,962.
Some councillors and the mayor were also reimbursed expenses while serving on appointed local boards.
Carmen McGregor received $901 for serving on the Board of Health,
Canniff and Crew both had expenses of $2,886.28 serving on the Police Board.
Doyle, Finn, Storey and Allin all received $85 serving on the Library Board.
Hall received $118 for his expenses with the St. Clair Conservation Authority.
Max Fantuz and Carol Holling received the highest remuneration for non-elected board members, each receiving $12,000 for their work on Entegrus and the Police Board, respectively.
Holling received an additional $3,120 for expenses.
Pat Weaver received $10,000 pay for his work on the Police Board and another $5,790.90 in expenses. Three other Police Board public appointees – Joe Brophy, Lindsay Boyd, and Helen Platis – received $9,999 in remuneration while Pat McMahon received $9,000. Platis also received $1,828 in expenses, and Brophy received $139.
Randy Hope, who served three terms as mayor, received $1,200 for serving on the Committee of Adjustment and Doug Sulman, a five-term councillor, received $7,500 in pay and $3,466.82 for expenses as a Police Board public appointee.
