Newcomers speak out about rising cost of living
In a CBC article, PEI Newcomers comment on the difficulties they have living in PEI
"If we want our economy to work, we have to make it more sustainable for people. And we know from all the figures that are out there, if we don't sustain immigration in the province, we won't have a workforce. And we can't sustain a workforce that we
Newcomers are speaking out about the rising cost of living in PEI and the scapegoating they feel for rising prices.
In a CBC article, newcomers to PEI commented on the difficulties they are experiencing, with many working multiple low-income jobs and living with multiple roommates just to make ends meet.
In the article, Joe Byrne with Cooper Institute reflected on seeing this first-hand while working with Cooper Institute. He said, "There are a lot of newcomers that are working in low-wage jobs. And even though P.E.I. may have one of the highest minimum wages in the region, wages are not high enough to make sure people can maintain a quality standard of life."
Previous research from Cooper Institute backs this up, noting the stress many migrants feel due to low paying work and limited pathways to permanent residency.
Joe finished by saying, "If we want our economy to work, we have to make it more sustainable for people. And we know from all the figures that are out there, if we don't sustain immigration in the province, we won't have a workforce. And we can't sustain a workforce that we continually ask to live in poverty."
To read the full article, visit CBC PEI. To read previous research Cooper Institute has conducted on this issue, visit our migrant workers' page.