If there's a silver lining to losing the last municipal election it's the golden handshake.
Montreal city councillors, with more than two years of service, who were defeated or did not run in the last election, are eligible for departure bonuses. The payouts are required by provincial law as a way of helping the former city officials transition smoothly back to a private life.
The money is split between departure and transition bonuses.
The 41 former members of city council will share a $3,985,485.10 exit package, with the average payout being $97,206.
Former Mayor Denis Coderre will receive a $193,874 golden handshake for his four years of service. Former Ahuntsic-Cartierville councillor Harout Chitilian will take home a $197,634 bonus and former Côte-des-Neiges-N.D.G. Mayor Russel Copeman $174,299 bonus for not being re-elected.
The largest departure sum will go to former Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension mayor Anie Samson, who has been at City Hall since 1994. Her $284,714 payout will set a record for the City of Montreal, breaking the previous high set by former interim mayor Michael Applebaum.
Applebaum left office in June 2013, one day after he was arrested by Quebec's anti-corruption unit UPAC at his home, with $267,000 in bonuses.
Here's the full list of bonuses:
