Davidcan,
I think most of the first part of your post is great ( not the extra $100 part) and I totally agree wth it.
I don’t use agencies and usually pay quite a bit more for Indys and I am fine with it.
The second part is not really relative, and makes no sense to use the highest average prices in Europe as a comparison while some parts of Europe are as you say, other parts like Spain Portugal are on par with Montreal, Eastern Europe such as Hungary, Romania, Poland, Ukraine are way cheaper, and when you look at Thailand, China then you are looking at half the cost so it all depends on cost of living and where you happen to be.
I don’t begrudge Montreal agency girls the increase it is perfectly normal and they deserve all of it and then some, but let’s not go completely overboard either.
Not everybody in Montreal is a Rockefeller and the reason prices are lower is because the cost of living is lower in Quebec and the average wage is lower also compared to Ontario, Alberta, and BC, so let’s keep it real.