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
Outdated cancer screening guidelines jeopardizing early detection, doctors say
A group of doctors say Canadian cancer screening guidelines set by a national task force are out-of-date and putting people at risk because their cancers aren't detected early enough.
B.C. woman facing steep medical bills, uncertain future after Thailand crash
The family of a Victoria, B.C., woman who was seriously injured in an accident in Thailand is pleading for help as medical bills pile up.
'I just started crying': Blue Jays player signs jersey for man in hospital
An Ontario woman says she never expected to be gifted a Blue Jays jersey for her ailing husband when she sat alone at the team’s home opener next to a couple of kind strangers.
LIVE @ 4 EDT Freeland to present 2024 federal budget, promising billions in new spending
Canadians will learn Tuesday the entirety of the federal Liberal government's new spending plans, and how they intend to pay for them, when Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tables the 2024 federal budget.
Ontario woman charged almost $7,000 for 20-minute taxi ride abroad
An Ontario woman was shocked to find she’d been charged nearly $7,000 after unknowingly using an unauthorized taxi company while on vacation in January.
Step inside 'The Brain': Northern education tool aims to promote drug safety
An immersive experience inside a massive dome coined 'The Brain' is helping youth learn about brain function and addiction
WATCH Half of Canadians living paycheque-to-paycheque: Equifax
As Canadians deal with a crushing housing shortage, high rental prices and inflationary price pressures, now Equifax Canada is warning that Canadian consumers are increasingly under stress"from the surging cost of living.
Inmate who escaped from N.B. prison has long history of violent crimes
An inmate who escaped from Dorchester Penitentiary in Dorchester, N.B., on Saturday evening has a long history of violent crimes and a history of escaping custody.
Mattea Roach to appear on upcoming season of 'Jeopardy! Masters'
Canadian 'Jeopardy!' champion Mattea Roach will return for the season annual 'Jeopardy! Masters' tournament.