Metro Vancouver has released its 2025 statement of financial information, revealing a decline in employee expenses compared to the previous year. The report shows overall employee expenses decreased by $1.2 million, totaling $3.5 million. Board remuneration and expenses also saw reductions.
Top Earner's Salary Drops
The highest-paid bureaucrat at Metro Vancouver is Jerry Dobrovolny, the chief administrative officer and commissioner, who earned $567,338 in 2025. This represents a decrease of $25,078 from his 2024 compensation of $592,416. The dip follows a significant 20 percent increase in Dobrovolny's salary between 2023 and 2024, which drew criticism as taxpayers faced an average 25 percent hike in the Metro portion of property tax bills that same year.
Metro staff have explained that Dobrovolny's salary is benchmarked against comparable positions at B.C. Hydro, B.C. Ferries, TransLink, ICBC, and the Toronto Transit Commission.
Board Remuneration and Expenses Decline
Board remuneration totaled $1.26 million in 2025, a decrease of 22.1 percent from $1.6 million in 2024. Metro attributes this primarily to fewer meetings. Board expenses dropped sharply by 88.1 percent, from $143,162 in 2024 to $17,061 in 2025, largely due to the elimination of travel remuneration for business trips.
Average pay for employees earning over $75,000 annually remained stable, with a slight decrease from $124,826 in 2024 to $124,473 in 2025.
Upcoming Strike and Committee Review
The release of the financial statement comes as unionized outside workers at the regional district plan a full-scale strike on Monday. The report will be reviewed by Metro Vancouver's performance and audit committee at its June 19 meeting before being forwarded to the board for approval.
