More than a decade ago, a small group of advocates, business owners, union members, and community leaders gathered around a table in Hamilton to ask a simple question: What does it really cost to live and work in our community?

They recognized that the minimum wage no longer met its purpose: to protect workers from poverty. Too many people were doing everything society asked of them: working full-time, supporting families and yet still falling behind. The familiar refrain from politicians and pundits to “just get a job” had begun to sound like satire as the ranks of the working poor grew.

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The response in Hamilton became the foundation of one of Ontario’s first local living wage calculations, an hourly rate based on what it really costs to cover basic needs, raise kids and participate in community life.

On Nov. 10, as new 2025 living wage rates are released in Canada’s most populous province, that same question feels more urgent than ever. Costs have surged, paycheques haven’t kept up and more working families are finding themselves one bill away from crisis.

The rates have gone up an average of 5.3 percent across the province from 2024. While the exact numbers vary by region ($27.20 per hour in Toronto, $23.40 in Ottawa, $21.50 in Southwest Ontario and $21.10 in Northern Ontario), these differences reflect local costs for housing, groceries, and transportation. But they........

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