Tom Dyas Was Asked to Justify the $374,000 City Manager Doug Gilchrist’s Salary. He Gave the Public an Empty Speech and Zero Proof

Tom Dyas was asked a simple question: Why has Doug Gilchrist’s salary increased so dramatically?

His answer, a word salad about salary surveys, other cities, performance reviews, and the 60th percentile. Let’s listen to the interview first and then we’ll fact check his responses after.

But he provided no actual numbers, no list of comparable cities, no survey results, and no performance details to justify the raises.

So let's look at the numbers.

According to Kelowna's own financial records, Gilchrist earned $264,472 in 2019. By 2025, that had climbed to $373,852, plus roughly $22,000 in expenses.

That's an increase of about $110,000, or 41 percent using those figures.

Media reports using a lower 2019 starting salary put the increase at approximately 55 percent over five years.

Either way, that's an extraordinary increase.

Now compare his salary with nearby cities.

In 2025, Kamloops' CAO earned about $326,000. Penticton's city manager earned about $275,000. Vernon's CAO earned between $255,000 and $258,000.

Gilchrist is paid substantially more than all three.

Tom Dyas says the salary is in line with comparable city managers and sits around the 60th percentile. But where is the evidence?

Which cities were compared? What did the salary survey show? What performance targets were met? And how did those reviews justify these specific increases?

None of that has been publicly explained.

The airport and regional responsibilities have also been used to justify the higher salary. But where is the actual calculation showing what those responsibilities are worth?

There is no public evidence showing how they justify the gap.

And that's the real issue.

Tom Dyas was asked to explain the numbers. Instead, he gave the public a process, a collection of talking points, and absolutely nothing they can independently verify.

Residents deserve actual answers, not corporate word salad.

The salary increases are documented. The regional comparisons are available. What remains missing is a clear, evidence-based explanation for why Kelowna is paying so much more.