The Statement of Financial Information (SOFI) is a report all B.C. municipalities are provincially required to complete annually. It is a stand-alone report separate from other municipal financial reporting.  

SOFI lists staff with remuneration of $75,000 or more during the year, and contractors paid $25,000 or more during the year.  

It is meant to provide a clear picture of funds the municipality pays out. It accounts for when funds are paid, as opposed to when services are received. Year-over-year changes in salaries might occur because of:  

• Differing amounts of accrued benefits paid out each year, such as unused vacation.  

• An employee may have acted in a higher position for a period and therefore received a higher rate of pay 

• An employee may have received changes in pay rates due to step change or a new position at a higher rate of pay. 

• Overtime pay 

• Wage settlements may have been agreed to and retroactive pay provided 

How to interpret the financial information

Staff remuneration 

The remuneration, or pay, amounts disclosed in the SOFI report include:  

• any form of salary, wages, taxable benefits 

• payment into trust or any form of income deferral paid to the employee, or on behalf of the employee, during the fiscal year  

Depending on the year, in addition to regular pay, total remuneration may include overtime pay, statutory holiday pay, payments of accrued vacation, banked overtime, and retroactive pay rate changes. With each of these variables changing from year to year, the number attributed to a given employee will fluctuate.  

Staff expenses 

The figures under expenses include employee costs such as: mileage to meetings, event registration fees, and professional accreditation. The Financial Information Act states that expenses “…are not limited to expenses that are generally perceived as perquisites or bestowing personal benefit, and may include expenditures required for employees to perform their job functions.” 

Supplier payments 

For goods or services purchased by the organization, the SOFI report includes a summary of payments made to outside organizations which total more than $25,000 for the reporting year. In the case of the RMOW, this may include payments to such organizations as: BC Hydro, Telus and various other companies for goods and services. The report also summarizes payments made as grants to not-for-profit organizations the municipality supports in Whistler. 

Recoveries/ reimbursements 

It is important to note that the report does not include any recoveries. So, if a staff member, or contracted service provider was paid an amount, and any portion of that amount was then reimbursed, the reimbursed amount is not reflected in the report. As an example, some event producers reimburse the RMOW for RCMP costs, but this reimbursement does not reduce the amount reported. 

Find the full 2025 SOFI report here (PDF).