The cost of living continues to rise in Milton and across Canada.
Many residents are finding it hard to keep up with bills, and find themselves falling into more and more credit card debt just to try and keep up.
A big part of this sudden surge in cost of living has been the rise in grocery prices. Canada’s Health Minister Mark Holland was in Milton recently to discuss what the federal government is doing to tackle these rising prices.
Minister Holland joined Milton Member of Parliament (MP) Adam van Koeverden at the Milton Latino grocery store at 26 Main Street East. They wanted to meet with a local business owner who is experiencing the squeeze on all levels.
MP van Koeverden says he’s heard from many residents this year about the rise in cost of living. This led him to research why this surge has happened, and what could be done about it.
It’d be easier to stomach the rising cost of living if wages had also risen to match it. Unfortunately, that’s not really the case. Statistics Canada says that between 1998 and 2021, the average hourly wages of employees in Canada only grew from $24.47 to $30.03.
Minister Holland says it’s not as simple as matching inflation with wage increases dollar-for-dollar.
If there’s one thing Milton residents can complain about in regards to the sudden rise in cost of living, it’s the boom in the real estate market. In January 2023, GTA real estate agency and brokerage Zoocasa labelled ‘Oakville-Milton’ as the most expensive real estate market in Canada, beating out the Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto Areas.
MP van Koeverden says the federal government is putting an emphasis on affordable housing, including co-ops.
He adds that he is always available to any resident that needs him. If you’d like to get ahold of MP van Koeverden, you can visit his website, as well as call him at 905-693-0166 or email him at adam.vankoeverden@parl.gc.ca. His office is also open 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, and you can find it at 16 Hugh Lane, just off Main Street, in Milton.
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