Mayor Don McIsaac has made good on a promise to donate the first year of his mayoral salary to charity.
McIsaac told OrilliaMatters he donated his net salary of $35,000, between November 2022 and November 2023, to a variety of local causes and non-profits.
He had vowed to donate his first-year earnings during the 2022 municipal election, when prodded by rival mayoral candidate John Maxwell during a September 2022 debate.
“I intend to follow through with that — I’ll donate back whatever I have for salary to charitable organizations within the community. There’s a lot of need here,” McIsaac told OrilliaMatters last year.
Although his gross mayoral income was $88,651.97 during his first year in office, he said his after-tax earnings were reduced to about $35,000 this year, as past earnings complicated his tax rate for the year.
While he did not disclose the dollar figure for each donation, McIsaac said the organizations and causes he donated to include the following:
- Orillia Museum of Art and History
- Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital emergency nurses
- Couchiching Jubilee House
- Green Haven Shelter for Women
- Samaritan’s Purse Canada
- Operation Christmas Child
- Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie
- Tim Hortons doughnuts for the municipal snow plow crew
- Orillia Youth Centre
- Orillia District Chamber of Commerce
- Biminaawzogin Regional Aboriginal Women’s Circle
- Coldest Night of the Year
- Coco’s Cookies for the OPP
- Society of St. Vincent de Paul
- Lakehead University’s Food Collective
- Terry Fox Foundation
- Knights of Columbus Orillia
- Orillia Presbyterian Church
- Mariposa House Hospice
- Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital
- The Sharing Place Food Centre
“If you make a promise, you keep it. That’s the simple part. But the reason why I (donated) is I think it’s the right thing to do. I’ve always given to charity. I do so quietly. This one was probably not as quiet as some of the other ones, but I think if you can give … it makes a difference,” McIsaac said.
“There’s great need in the community, and there’s a lot of charities that really do a lot with a little, and it’s just wonderful to be able to help them.”
He said he plans to continue donating to charity but more quietly.
“I’ll do it in a different way. I’ve always given, but it’ll be more private this year,” he said.
