This Ontario city just became the largest in the province to officially pay employees a living wage
The City of St. Catharines is the largest and latest municipality in Ontario to be designated an official Living Wage Employer.
In doing so, the city has pledged to pay a living wage to all full-time employees. They’ve also said they'll extend that promise to part-time employees and craft procurement policy for third-party contractors by Dec. 2024.
Living wage is defined as the hourly rate needed to cover the actual costs of living in a community, unlike minimum wage, which is the lowest hourly rate an employer is legally permitted to pay a worker.
According to data from the Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN) released in Nov. 2021, a living wage for the Niagara Region is estimated at $18.90 per hour.
Staff from OLWN and the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network joined the St. Catharines City Council meeting Monday night to make the announcement.
"We hope that this just continues the growth of the living wage work across the region and that we continue to see more and more employers signing on in the years to come," Lori Kleinsmith, from the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network, said in the meeting.
"This marks our largest employer in terms of sheer number of people who work for the city of St. Catharines," she said.
Councillor Greg Miller announced the designation on social media Monday as well, thanking staff for “seeing the process through.”
“The City of St. Catharines is now a Certified Living Wage Employer,” Miller wrote.
‘We are now the largest certified Living Wage employer in Niagara and the largest certified municipality in Ontario.”
In Feb. 2021, St. Catharines council voted unanimously to apply to become a living wage employer through OLWN.
ONTARIO LIVING WAGE NETWORK
St. Catharines is one of 23 regions the Ontario Living Wage Network has calculated a living wage for.
The Ontario Living Wage Network devised the calculation methodology in collaboration with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives B.C and Ontario offices, who were responsible for creating the standardized "National Living Wage Framework".
In Toronto, they’ve set the living wage at $22.08 per hour as of Nov. 2021 – the highest in Ontario.
The region with the lowest calculated living wage is Sault Saint Marie at $16.20 per hour.
To view all the living wages calculated by OLWN, see the interactive map below.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.