- by Anne Finlay-Stewart. Editor

As of today, October 1, the Ontario minimum wage is $15.50, as announced by the Ford government last April.   Students under 18 now receive a minimumof  $14.60 per hour, up from $14.10.

The former Ontario government had announced a planned 2019 minimum wage increase to $15 from $14 per hour: that was cancelled by the Ford government.

The Living Wage for Grey-Bruce was last calculated in 2019 to be 17% higher than this 2022 minimum wage. For a two-income household with children, $18.39/hour was required for full-time hours to meet basic food, housing, transportation and child care needs.  That was based on $1346/month for a three bedroom rental.  The current market rent for a one bedroom apartment is $1500.  "According to United Way of Bruce Grey in March 2022, to afford a market rent of $1,500 per month for a one-bedroom rental, a household must earn $60,000 per year or $32.96 per hour with a 35-hour workweek." (Sun Times)

A 2021 staff report to Owen Sound Council  about the City's own lowest-paid employees noted that ...“it has been reported that staff in these positions have been accessing the food bank and other local resources in an effort to afford basic expenses for their families and households, while maintaining employment with the city.”