Vancouver police have posted a list of police salaries — without names — on their freedom-of-information website here. Sad, really, that they only release them through an FOI.
That’s a recent development, if you’ll recall. Until four years ago, all police salaries over $75,000 were routinely listed in the city’s schedule of payments, along with the names, along with the rest of the city employees. Then West Vancouver police mounted a legal challenge to having their salaries posted along with other city information. Their argument: They aren’t really employees of the city, they’re employees of the police board. Also, there’s a security issue. There, they argued, they aren’t covered by FOI legislation as it applies to cities and, even if they are, their names shouldn’t be released.
Alas, a judge agreed with them and so now all their names get omitted. It makes for much duller reading.