What HR Taught Me About Leadership
As Manager of Teck’s Trail Technical Facility, I lean on my Human Resources background every day. Whether it’s navigating change, addressing challenges, or bringing people together around a common goal, many of the same skills that are important in the workplace are just as important around the council table.
One of the things I’ve appreciated most about serving on council is the opportunity to work with people who don’t always see issues the same way. That’s healthy. A council table shouldn’t be a place where everyone agrees all the time. In my experience, better decisions happen when different perspectives are heard, challenged respectfully, and thoughtfully considered.
Looking back over the past four years, some of the things I’m proudest of won’t be found in a council resolution or a newspaper article. I’m proud of helping create an environment where respectful conversations could happen, even when the topic was difficult.
A conversation about council remuneration
Recently, I’ve seen quite a bit of discussion about council remuneration, and I wanted to provide some context.
When I took the oath of office, I made a personal commitment that I would not support matters that were of direct pecuniary interest to me (I had to practise saying that word a lot so that I didn’t stumble in front of the audience at the ceremony!), and I maintained that commitment throughout my term. Council remuneration came to the table numerous times over the past four years, and each time council voted against increasing its own compensation. Eventually, we decided there was a better way and changed the process so future councils would not be put in the position of determining their own pay, instead relying on an independent citizen committee to review and recommend compensation for future terms.
In March 2026, the City advertised for residents interested in serving on an independent citizen committee to review council remuneration. A group of local citizens volunteered their time and spent several months researching comparable municipalities, reviewing council responsibilities, and discussing barriers that might prevent people from running for office.
Their report came forward to Committee of the Whole in July, and council considered it in August. One thing that often gets overlooked is that the committee compared Trail to similar municipalities. Their recommendations weren’t based on what council wanted. They were based on research and comparisons completed by local residents who volunteered their time to do the work. It was citizens doing the research, reviewing comparable communities, and bringing forward recommendations for a future council term.
That’s another point that sometimes gets lost in the conversation. The recommendations approved in August applied to the next council term, not the current one. The decision did not increase compensation for the sitting council. Any member of the current council would only be affected if they chose to run again and were successful in being elected, just like any other candidate.
I was also pleased to see the recommendation for a childcare expense benefit. It’s 2026. If we want councils that reflect our community, we need to think about the barriers people face. Over the past several months, I’ve spoken with a number of people who were considering running for council. Not one of them talked about getting rich. What they talked about was whether they could make it work. Could they balance council responsibilities with a full-time job? Could they balance it with raising a family? Would their employer support them? Those are legitimate questions.
In my opinion, there’s still more work to do. Local government often works best for retirees, self-employed individuals, or those fortunate enough to have flexible employers. Council meetings are only one small part of the commitment. There are committee meetings, community events, conferences, public engagement opportunities, and many hours spent reading reports and preparing for meetings. I know how fortunate I’ve been to have support from my employer throughout my time on council.
Serving on council has never been about the money for me. But I do believe public service should be accessible to a wider range of people. We need working parents. We need young professionals. We need business owners, shift workers, retirees, and people from all walks of life around the council table. The stronger and more diverse the voices, the better the discussion. And the better the discussion, the better the decisions.
I believe we did the right thing by asking citizens to do the research, compare Trail with similar communities, and make recommendations for future councils rather than the current one. There’s still more work to do, but it was an important step toward making local government more representative of the community it serves.
People can disagree with the committee’s recommendations. That’s completely fair. For me, this was never about creating a more lucrative role. It was about creating a more accessible one.
If you’d like to read it for yourself, here is the Council Remuneration Review Committee’s report (PDF).