THUNDER BAY — The minimum wage will be increasing on the first day of October.
In a scheduled increase, the new minimum wage will go up to $16.55 an hour as of Sunday.
The 6.8 per cent increase was previously announced in March by the provincial government. Other sectors will be getting increases as well, including students under the age of 18 who work part-time hours will get a raise to $15.60 an hour, up from $14.60.
While the increase will be helpful to many, the cost of living has also been rising but at a faster rate than the increases.
Currently, in Ontario, the average living salary is estimated to be $19.72 per hour. The GTA is ranked the highest, with residents needing approximately $23.15 hourly to get by, while those in northern parts of the province are slotted at $19.70 an hour to pay for basic necessities like rent, food and utilities.
In Ottawa, the federal government has met with CEOs of major grocery chains and manufacturing companies to discuss lowering their costs for struggling Canadian consumers and to have a plan by Thanksgiving.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled legislation to make changes to the competition laws in Canada.
