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Ontario Living Wage Network
Community Development Halton
It’s expensive in Halton!
Home Suite Hope knows this all too well as it works to move single parent-led families from homelessness to stability through housing, wraparound support, education and employment.
While the post-COVID-19 soaring inflation rates and skyrocketing rents have gone hand-in-hand with ever-shrinking corporate and individual support, the HSH team has been seeing the results in both the work it does – and the pinch its participants, staff and supporters are feeling.
Home Suite Hope led the way in declaring itself a Living Wage Employer in Halton.
November 18 marked Living Wage Week in Ontario for 2024 – and with it came the news that the living wage in the GTA – including Halton – has soared to $26/hour… greater than even that facing our neighbours to the immediate west in Hamilton.
Here’s the story from the Ontario Living Wage Network’s (OLWN) Communications Director Craig Pickthorne (craig@ontariolivingwage.ca)
The 2024 living wage rates have increased by an average of 3.4%, driven primarily by rising rent costs in the province.
Meanwhile it’s up 3.8% in Halton.
While food inflation has eased, it remains high compared to earlier years, said Pickthorne.
The Greater Toronto Area has the highest living wage at $26.00, up from $25.05, while the London-Elgin-Oxford region has the lowest at $19.50, up from $18.85. The Southwest region, including Windsor, Chatham-Kent, and Sarnia, saw the largest increase of 6.4%, from $18.65 to $19.85, he noted.
Despite the provincial minimum wage rising to $17.20 on October 1, there's no place in Ontario where a minimum wage job can cover basic expenses, according to Pickthorne.
(CDH) Announces 2024 Living Wage for Halton Region at $26.00 Per Hour
Community Development Halton (CDH) dove into the Halton numbers for an up-close lens in the communities we call home.l Here's the story from CDH:
The Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN) has released the 2024 Living Wage for Halton Region, calculated at $26.00 per hour. This new figure reflects a 3.8% increase over 2023’s living wage of $25.05 per hour, highlighting the persistent challenge of high living costs, especially as rising rental expenses continue to exert pressure on household budgets.
The link below will take you to the full report on the new rate and some of the details behind it and how it compares to a minimum wage.
The Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN) has released the 2024 Living Wage for Halton Region, calculated at $26.00 per hour. This new figure reflects a 3.8% increase over 2023’s living wage of $25.05 per hour, highlighting the persistent challenge of high living costs, especially as rising rental expenses continue to exert pressure on household budgets.
According to recent calculations from OLWN, the average living wage increase across Ontario was 3.34%, signaling a gradual easing in inflation but underscoring that costs for essentials remain elevated. Rental costs have been a particularly significant driver of the increase.
Housing data from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), supported by Statistics Canada median rent data and the Canadian Rental Housing Index, reveals that rent has continued to rise in Halton and other major metropolitan areas, even as inflation decelerates.
Other factors in the 2024 living wage calculation include stabilizing but high food prices, modest increases in transportation costs, and reduced childcare expenses under the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program, though costs for older children have seen a slight increase. The living wage accounts for all these essential expenses, aiming to ensure that a full-time, year-round worker in Halton can meet their basic needs and participate fully in their community.
"CDH is one of 18 certified living wage employers in Halton. The 2024 living wage rate brings attention to the growing wage gap in Halton Region," said Rishia Burke, Executive Director, CDH. "With the Ontario minimum wage currently at $17.20 per hour, a full-time minimum wage worker earns over $16,000 less per year than a living wage earner, underscoring the inadequacy of minimum wages in meeting even basic living costs.
The concept of a living wage, calculated annually by the OLWN in partnership with local communities, differs from the minimum wage in that it represents the income needed to ensure individuals and families can afford essential expenses. For Halton, these include food, shelter, transportation, childcare, adult education, and more.
A word from HSH Executive Director Sara Cumming on HSH being a Living Wage employer
HSH is an organization aimed at lifting homeless single parents out of poverty by giving them the tools they need to be successful.
“My staff had many of those tools - they all have college or university degrees and supportive networks and they all had full-time employment and yet wages were not allowing them to take the next steps in their lives. The wages were okay when they were living at home with their parents but not as they were trying to launch in their lives. I found this very problematic and went to the board with the proposal to ensure that we lived up to our vision and mission with our staff too. Everyone should earn a living wage. The board unanimously agreed and we became a living wage employer."
According to Sara, HSH has many more candidates applying for jobs than we ever have. The staff indicate that they feel valued and aren't searching for better paying jobs because they're happy here. This doesn't mean it's not a bit tricky or difficult in this current economy.
“Inflation is such that being a living wage employer means wages must keep up to the pace of inflation. Not for profits have been hit particularly hard this past year as donations and grants are low but costs are up. Forecasting for next year with the rising living wage means even more expenses. However I will hold strong in my belief that we need to stay true to our mission and vision for our participants and for our staff,” said Sara.
Note:
Thanks go to the OLWN certified employers and organizational supporters who make this work possible. Others essential to updating these rates every year:
• Anne Coleman who leads this process
• Local living wage organizers who help review local community data.
• Ontario Dietitians in Public Health Food Insecurity Workgroup for facilitating the sharing of 2023 Ontario Nutritious Food Basket (ONFB) food cost data.
• Aleesha Coghill for collecting data for the calculations.
• Research and calculations: Silas Xuereb.
• Robin Shaban at Deetken Insight.