A new report finds there are few places in Canada where a minimum wage worker can afford an apartment, including the metro St. John’s region.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says someone earning minimum wage can afford a one-bedroom rental in just nine per cent of the neighbourhoods it studied. That number drops to just three per cent if the person wants to rent a two-bedroom.
The Centre says the average wage needed to afford a one-bedroom in Canada is about $20 an hour.
The minimum wage in Newfoundland and Labrador is $11.40 but the new study says anyone in metro would have to be earning between $16 and $20 an hour to afford a 2-bedroom apartment. The NDP has been calling on government to up the minimum wage to $15 an hour.