There is a cost of living index available for various cities, which might help you compare somewhat.
That guy, I'd pay a guy around here $35 USD easy, plus some extra here and there, anything he wanted for gear, basically. Size of trees will vary, so maybe the technical level is less in Ontario, maybe its more, as it might be big spreading trees tangled in wires and postage stamp lots.
Cost of living and size of trees, seems like he should be getting $30 CDN at least. Maybe sharpening the bidding process can happen with more accurate data being tracked. If you can push up your Net a little, and grabba-hold of a been a long-timer, safe, reliable, producer, who's punctual, has a driver's license, not a primadonna, etc. Grab that unicorn.
Ask what he wants most? Training? Cash? Gear? Retirement match?
Jobber might help with bidding, scheduling, avoiding errors.