St. Catharines now the largest living wage employer in Ontario
Published June 28, 2022 at 12:21 pm
It took a few years but St. Catharines became the largest living wage employer last night at council.
Councillor Greg Miller, who asked staff for a full report on the possibility back in February, is considered one of the leaders in the initiative but he was fully backed by the progressive councillors at the table.
In Niagara, the living wage was last calculated to be $18.90 an hour. While that figure is unlikely to change many full-time salaries at City Hall, it will see a significant increase to the many part-time workers the city employs.
For a student who works, for instance, as a lifeguard for the city in the summer, their pay just went from Ontario minimum wage at $15/hour to $18.90/hour – a 26 per cent increase.
Living wage is the hourly rate a worker needs to earn, to cover not just their basic expenses, but have a little extra to participate in the community. In Toronto, the high rate in Ontario, the living wage is set at $22.08/hour.
The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network has certified close to 80 employers that provide a living wage to employees, Kleinsmith said but added, “This marks our largest employer in terms of sheer number of people who work for the city of St. Catharines.”
While council started the process back in 2019, this past February, they voted unanimously to explore Miller’s motion and applied to become a living wage employer through the Ontario Living Wage Network.
The city now has to provide a living wage to all employees, meeting the champion level requirements by December 2024.
