cost of living toronto

People are now gathering to protest the sky-high cost of living in Toronto

If you're finding it pretty damn impossible to get by in Toronto given how exorbitant the cost of living in and around the city has become, you're certainly not alone.

The price of rent, groceries, utilities, going out and everything else has reached heights that are untenable for so many, and it's gotten to the point that people are now planning a mass demonstration to voice their concerns.

At noon on June 3, residents are gathering in Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square — and in locations across Ontario — to protest the unaffordability of living in the province and fight for better wages, public services and more.

The event, organized by local group Justice for Workers, hopes to send the message that the Ford government is failing its constituents, and that
"enough is enough."

"Worried about rent, wages, healthcare, groceries? Join us," a poster for the rally and march reads, noting ultimate goals of a $20 minimum wage plus wage increases across the board, rent control and good public housing, affordable basic necessities like food and gas, and higher taxation of large corporations.

Events in Brampton, Hamilton, Niagara, Ottawa and more than a dozen other communities are planned for the same day, and other workers' groups such as the Ontario Nurses' Association have expressed their support.

Based on the response on social media, it seems hundreds of people may be in attendance.

Justice for Workers has also been hosting a number of advocacy meetings leading up to the big day, including a workshop about inflation with the Ontario Federation of Labour, taking place Monday evening.

"Whether it's cancelling paid sick days and cutting off uninsured persons from accessing medical treatment, or whether it's cutting education funding while opening the door to for-profit health care, it's clear this government is not working for workers — it's working for corporations," the group states on its website.

"The pandemic is demonstrating what we already know - workers need decent wages, decent hours, paid sick days, equal pay, and labour laws that protect us all."

While the rate of inflation has finally slowed, prices are still on the rise — especially for food — and residents are finding themselves unable to recover from the record pace at which the cost of goods and services has surged over the last year and a half.

Lead photo by

Filipe Freitas


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