Sault Ste. Marie latest city to look at giving workers a pay hike to counter rising cost of living

Sault Ste. Marie is the latest city to consider paying municipal workers a living wage instead of the minimum wage, which would mean a bump of about $4 per hour.

Monday night, city council ordered a staff report to look at raising up city employees from the provincial minimum wage of $15.61 to the living wage calculated for the Sault at $19.70.

"With the rising cost of living, the minimum wage does not allow folks the ability to keep a roof over their head and food in their bellies," said city councillor Angela Caputo. 

"And these are our citizens."

Both Caputo and city councillor Lisa Vezeau-Allen said they know of students from Sault Ste. Marie who don't come home to work for the summer because they get paid more in other cities.

"We aren't getting people applying for positions, especially summer students, because they can make more money elsewhere," Vezeau-Allen said. 

Greater Sudbury brought in a living wage for city workers last year at an estimated cost of $434,000 per year, but it does not apply to summer students. 

Sault Ste. Marie city councillor Stephan Kinach is concerned that the living wage would mean a 26 per cent pay bump for certain workers, when the city just recently inked a new contract with a CUPE local representing 185 city employees in roads, parks and garbage collection based around a 3.38 per cent wage increase.

"As an employer, I think we have a responsibility to the taxpayers to not set this kind of precedent. Because how can we go into negotiations next time?" he said.