Hamilton Police Chief’s Near-$400K Salary Sparks Debate: Nearly $100K More Than Toronto’s Chief Despite Smaller City, Budget, and Responsibilities

By Justin Heath

In 2024, Hamilton Police Service (HPS) Chief Frank Bergen earned a staggering $395,850 in total compensation, making him the highest-paid municipal employee in Hamilton and outpacing his counterpart, Toronto Police Service Chief Myron Demkiw, who earned $364,000. This nearly $100,000 gap has raised eyebrows, given Toronto’s significantly larger population, tax base, budget, and policing responsibilities. As public sector salaries come under scrutiny, the disparity between the two chiefs’ pay highlights questions about fairness, accountability, and the factors driving police compensation in Ontario.

A Tale of Two Cities: Hamilton vs. Toronto

Hamilton, with a population of approximately 580,000, operates with a 2023 police budget of $198 million, supporting 829 officers and 414 civilian staff. The city’s tax base, while substantial, pales in comparison to Toronto’s. Toronto, Canada’s largest city, has a population of over 3 million and a 2024 police budget exceeding $1.2 billion, which funds roughly 5,300 uniformed officers and 2,400 civilian employees. Toronto’s police force handles a vastly higher volume of calls, major crime investigations, and public safety challenges, including overseeing high-profile events, protests, and international summits.

Despite these differences, Chief Bergen’s 2024 compensation—comprising base salary and taxable benefits—surpassed Chief Demkiw’s by approximately $31,850. When compared to historical data, the gap is even more striking: Bergen’s salary has risen sharply from $315,750 in 2022 to $381,830 in 2023, and now to $395,850 in 2024, overtaking Toronto’s chief and unseating Hamilton’s medical officer of health as the city’s top earner.

What’s Behind the Salary Hike?

According to Hamilton Police Service spokesperson Jackie Penman, the increase in Bergen’s salary is “directly attributed to collective bargaining increases and retroactive payments.” Additionally, taxable benefits, including a corporate vehicle provided due to the chief’s 24/7 availability, accounted for $15,410 (3.9% of his total earnings) in 2024. While these factors explain part of the rise, they do little to justify why Hamilton’s chief earns more than Toronto’s, where the scope of responsibilities is exponentially larger.

The 2024 Ontario Sunshine List, which discloses public sector salaries over $100,000, reveals that police chiefs across the province are commanding high salaries. Chiefs in Peel, York, Halton, Waterloo, and Niagara also earned more than Bergen, with Halton’s Chief Stephen Tanner topping the list at over $430,000. However, these comparisons do not fully address the Hamilton-Toronto disparity, as Toronto’s chief oversees a force with far greater demands and public scrutiny.

Posts on X from April 2025 reflect public surprise at Bergen’s salary, with some users questioning how a smaller city like Hamilton can justify paying its chief more than Toronto’s. One post from The Hamilton Spectator noted, “Once dominated by city bureaucrats and public health officials, chiefs across Ontario now sit atop municipal earner’s list,” signalling a broader trend of escalating police salaries.

Responsibilities and Accountability

The Toronto Police Service faces unique challenges that dwarf those in Hamilton. Toronto officers respond to over 1 million calls annually, manage complex organized crime networks, and address issues like gun violence, homelessness, and public transit safety in a global metropolis. The chief’s role involves navigating intense media scrutiny, political oversight, and public demands for reform, particularly amid debates over systemic racism and budget increases. In 2024, Toronto’s police board approved a $46.2 million budget hike, bringing the total to over $1.2 billion, a decision that sparked criticism from advocates like former mayor John Sewell, who argued the funds would be better spent on community services.

Hamilton, by contrast, operates on a smaller scale. While the HPS deals with serious issues like opioid overdoses and gang activity, its operational scope is less complex. The 2023 budget battle in Hamilton saw councillors push for savings, only to approve the $198 million police budget unchanged, highlighting local tensions over policing costs. Critics argue that Bergen’s high salary, especially relative to Demkiw’s, lacks justification when Hamilton’s tax base and policing demands are significantly smaller.

Public and Policy Implications

The salary disparity has fuelled calls for greater transparency in how police chiefs’ compensation is determined. Ontario’s Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act mandates reporting of salaries but does not require detailed breakdowns of benefits or bonuses, leaving gaps in public understanding. In Niagara, for example, the police board cited privacy legislation to avoid disclosing specifics about their chief’s $395,000 compensation, a stance that frustrates accountability efforts.

Toronto’s police budget, which consumes about 10% of the city’s operating budget, has long been a flashpoint. Critics like the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition argue that rising salaries and budget increases divert funds from addressing root causes of crime, such as poverty and mental health. In Hamilton, similar concerns exist, with residents questioning whether Bergen’s near-$400,000 salary aligns with the city’s fiscal realities or policing needs.

A Broader Trend?

Bergen’s salary is part of a provincial trend where police chiefs in smaller jurisdictions are out-earning those in larger ones. For instance, Halton’s Chief Tanner earned over $430,000, and Peel’s superintendent topped $454,000, surpassing even York’s chief. These figures suggest that collective bargaining agreements, retroactive pay, and benefits are driving salaries upward across Ontario, often without clear ties to responsibility or city size.

However, the Hamilton-Toronto comparison stands out due to the stark contrast in scale. Toronto’s chief, managing a force nearly six times larger than Hamilton’s, faces pressures that arguably warrant higher compensation. Yet, Bergen’s salary not only exceeds Demkiw’s but also approaches an hourly rate of nearly $200 (based on a standard 2,080-hour work year), a figure that has shocked some taxpayers.

Conclusion

The nearly $100,000 salary gap between Hamilton’s Chief Frank Bergen and Toronto’s Chief Myron Demkiw raises serious questions about how police compensation is structured in Ontario. While collective bargaining and benefits explain part of Bergen’s $395,850 pay, they do not fully account for why a chief in a smaller city with a fraction of Toronto’s budget and responsibilities earns more. As public sector salaries face growing scrutiny, the case underscores the need for clearer justification and oversight to ensure taxpayer dollars align with the demands of public safety. For now, Hamilton’s taxpayers may wonder why their police chief’s paycheck rivals those in Canada’s biggest cities—while Toronto’s chief, with far greater burdens, earns less.

Justin Heath

Justin Heath is a  freelance writer for Veritas Expositae

You can reach him at justin.heath@veritasexpositae.com