The cost for a babysitter, is it the same everywhere in Canada?

Certainly not! One might think that certain qualifications and experience are the most important criteria in determining the rate. But in the same way that a 5-room house with a big yard can't have the same rental value in Winnipeg and Vancouver, babysitters' rates vary greatly from one region to another.

The same babysitter who request $13 per hour in Toronto could become disillusioned if she moved to Saskatoon, for example, where babysitters can earn as low as $7 an hour A huge difference of almost 50% difference for the same services.

Blogger Buzz Bishop of DadCAMP discusses the average going rate for sitters in Alberta on his blog here, and what factors parents consider when deciding how much they are willing to pay.

The regions where babysitters are the highest paid.

No surprise, the Vancouver and Toronto areas report the highest wages for babysitters which have gone up considerably in the past several years as the cost of living continues to rise.

The lowest paid areas. 

Areas with the lowest paid babysitters are in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and some of the Maritimes provinces.

Which other characteristics for deciding the hourly rate?

There are many criteria that the employer must take into account in determining the rate they will give pay their babysitter.

• The age and experiences of the sitter,
• The age and the number of children being watched,
• The hours and the frequency of sitting, 
• The travel time for the babysitter.