Ontario's Living Wages Reveal How Much You Need To Afford A Basic Life In These Regions
Minimum wage went up in October, but it looks like another raise is needed ASAP. 👀
It's no secret that living in Toronto is super expensive, but compared to the rest of Ontario, it's not the only city.
It's been a couple of years since some of Ontario's living wages were recalculated, and while the numbers have been updated to reflect how much you need to make in order to live where you do, it is still way more than the province's minimum wage rate.
"Our 2021 calculations now take into account a weighted average between a family of four, single parent with one child and a single adult," Anne Coleman, the program manager at Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN), wrote in the November 1 announcement. "These 2021 living wage rates reflect changing demographics in our province and increases in inflation. We believe they accurately reflect the realities of costs in Ontario."
According to OLWN, a living wage is how much you need to make in order to cover the actual costs of living in your community, which includes food, clothes, shelter, transportation, childcare, medical care, recreation, and a "modest" vacation. It doesn't include costs to cover paying off your debts, homeownership, saving for your kids' education and anything outside of an emergency fund.
Since October 1, Ontario's minimum wage has been $14.35/hour and compared to these 23 regions, it simply doesn't cut it. The cities that have the smallest gap between their living wage to the province's minimum wage are Sault St. Marie at $16.20/hour, Thunder Bay at $16.30/hour, and London at $16.55/hour.
The 6ix has the highest living wage rates in the province at a whopping $22.08/hour, which is actually ten cents less than its last calculations. It comes out to a $7.73 difference from how much minimum wage workers are currently making, which could be part of the reason why Toronto is one of the least affordable cities in North America.
The other cities and regions that have the highest living wages are Halton Region (which includes Burlington and Oakville) at $20.75/hour and the newest addition on the list Peel Region (which includes Mississauga and Brampton) at $19.80/hour.
The new average living wage rate among these 23 regions amounts to $18.17, which is still $3.82 more than Ontario's minimum wage.
It should be noted that not all regions in Ontario have been included in the updated list; Chatham-Kent, Grey Bruce, Kawartha Lakes, and St. Thomas Elgin didn't make the updates at this time.