If you pay more while earning less (or attracting less investment money) you are at risk of being outcompeted. I'm not an expert in Canadian economy, however I guess paying the same salary in Ontario costs more vs profits, than in California, or Texas.
If you are competent at identifying talent and hiring it, paying more in this market is actually a quite "neat hack" to slay any competition that is obsessed with low margins and therefore ends up with, frankly, mediocrity, as a result.