The City of St. Catharines is taking steps to become a certified 'Living Wage' employer.
Council unanimously approved submitting a Living Wage Employer Application to the Ontario Living Wage Network.
The Network considers a living wage in Niagara to be $18.12 per hour.
Currently, the city would be entering the program at a lower tier where only some employees make the required amount and work their way up to a 'Champion' level where all employees and contract workers are included.
If the city moves forward with plans to become a Champion living wage employer, the cost would come in at approximately $567,000, but city staff note that cost would be phased in over three years.
A 'living wage' includes how much a worker needs to be paid to live comfortably within their community and have money left over to partake in other opportunities.