Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
A large swath of Ontario was under an extreme cold warning on Friday as a polar air mass with biting wind chills made its way across the province.
Environment Canada warned of wind chill values between -30 C and -40 C across much of southern and eastern Ontario, and up to -50 C in parts of northern Ontario.
The federal weather agency said the cold could cause frostbite to develop on exposed skin within minutes.
Meteorologist Steven Flisfeder said the extreme cold conditions across the province were expected to continue into Saturday.
"Tundra is a pretty good word to bring into this," said Flisfeder. "We saw very cold temperatures across northern Ontario through the week and that air mass has finally made its way towards southern Ontario."
Temperatures were expected to plunge overnight Friday, he said.
"We won't see a real warm up until later in the day Saturday," said Flisfeder. "By the time we get to early next work week, we'll have temperatures above seasonal once again."
Environment Canada said wind chill could approach -30 C in the Greater Toronto Area on Friday, while in Ottawa it could feel closer to -40 C.
In Thunder Bay, Environment Canada said said it would feel more like -45 C and the regions around Hudson Bay were forecast to feel wind chills around -50 C.
In addition to the extreme cold alerts, Environment Canada issued snow squall warnings for Grey-Bruce and Huron-Perth in southern Ontario, with snowfall up to 25 centimetres through Friday evening.
"Just grit our teeth, dress in layers, limit our time outdoors as much as possible and make sure we cover up as much skin as possible to protect from frostbite," said Flisfeder.
City of Toronto data indicated its warming centres were at 98 per cent capacity on Thursday.
It said there was still space in its overnight shelter system Friday morning.
The city said it had directed staff not to turn anyone away from shelters or warming centres during the extreme cold.
The extreme cold snap led Environment Canada to issue similar cold warnings in Manitoba, through to Quebec and the Maritimes.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2023.
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.