Vancouver City Hall is refusing to disclose how much taxpayers paid for a record number of severance agreements with non-union employees last year, even though the city has released this information in previous years. This lack of transparency has drawn criticism from taxpayer advocates.
Record Number of Severance Agreements
According to Vancouver's annual statement of financial information, the city entered into 79 severance agreements with non-union workers in 2025. This figure matches the total number of such agreements over the previous seven years combined and is nearly nine times the annual average of the past 22 years, based on records available on the city's website.
City Refuses to Release Dollar Figures
When Postmedia requested the total dollar amount for these 79 severance agreements in late April, the city initially declined, citing the need to protect employee confidentiality. The city stated it would not disclose any severance information beyond what is legally required, adding that previous disclosures were made outside standard processes and do not reflect current practices.
This marks a shift from earlier years. In 2023 and 2024, the city provided the aggregate severance figure to The Globe and Mail, reporting just over $2 million paid to 34 non-union employees. During the Vision Vancouver era in the 2010s, the city even released individual severance payouts for former employees.
Comparison with Other Cities
Other municipalities have been more forthcoming. Surrey, B.C.'s second most populous city, shared its severance totals with The Globe last year, reporting 16 agreements worth almost $2.5 million for 2023 and 2024. Surrey also provided its 2025 total to Postmedia this month: $1.8 million for six agreements.
Taxpayer Advocates Call for Transparency
Carson Binda, B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, praised the ABC-majority city council's efforts to reduce the civic bureaucracy but argued there is no legitimate reason to hide the costs. "It certainly seems like the City of Vancouver is trying to hide these dollar figures and that’s unacceptable," Binda said. "The city can and should be releasing that information proactively."
While B.C. municipalities are legally required to report the number of severance agreements annually, they are not obligated to disclose the total dollar amount. However, they may choose to do so voluntarily.
