Going rate for babysitters in major Canadian cities?

Question

I'm in Montreal, and have two school-aged children. The sitter would not stay late at night, it would be a few hours in an afternoon, or evening. $7-9/hour?

I heard someone say they don't pay more than $4/hour, but that seems really low. The person will be in charge of your kids' well-being/safety while you're out.

Answer 1

My daughter is only 14, Montreal area, and makes a flat rate of $20, whether it's for a two hours in the afternoon, or the whole day.  It evens itself out.

People who pay less are most likely making minimum wage or close to it.  If you make only $8.50 an hour you can't afford to pay a sitter more than 3-4$/hour.  Even that would be a stretch for some families (not everyone can get in the $7/day daycare).