Family-Owned Home Care Company Stands Out From Rest By Paying All Staff At Least a Living Wage

OTTAWA—The Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN) is pleased to announce that Freiheit Care Inc., a premium home care company, has become a certified living wage employer with all employees earning at least $18.42 per hour.

There has been a constant call for caregivers, personal support workers, and nurses to be fairly compensated for the service they provide, especially to a society grappling with COVID-19. Helen Reimer, Director of Freiheit Care, explains why they pay at least a living wage to all full-time, part-time and contracted staff:

"Our business is about caring for our clients, and we depend on our staff to provide that service. If we want to offer reliable, premium care, we must start with making sure our staff are able to make ends meet...

The Ontario Living Wage Network is pleased to announce that ServiceMaster Restore of Guelph, a disaster restoration company, has become a certified living wage employer with all employees earning at least $17.00 per hour.

Andrew Jackson, co-owner explains why they pay at least a living wage to all staff:

"Myself and my partners started in this industry as technicians in the field and worked our way up, eventually buying our own franchise. From the beginning we always promised ourselves that we’d look after our people. We knew what it was like to scrape by on the bare minimum of wages…to struggle with multiple jobs to make ends meet. We don’t forget where we’ve come from and we’ll always be committed to treating people well."

The Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN) is pleased to announce that Matthew House Ottawa, a furniture bank and refugee services charity, has become a certified living wage employer, with all employees earning at least $18.42 per hour.

With a provincial minimum wage of $14.25, Allan Reesor-McDowell, Executive Director of Matthew House Ottawa explains why they pay at least a living wage to all full-time, part-time and contracted staff:

"Our key value is respecting human dignity, and from my perspective, and the perspective of our board, a living wage is foundational to that."

Well, this is going to be a Living Wage Week like no other. For starters, we are not releasing any new or updated living wage rates, as we usually would on the first Monday of November.

Along with our local organizers, we decided there was no way to calculate 2020 living wage rates that would provide a useful representation of living expenses in the coming year. A few reasons behind this decision:

• Many calculations depend on local non-profit organizations such as United Ways, social planning councils, and development organizations whose resources are already stretched thin.  
• The calculations rely on 2019 factors and price indicators that will not be relevant in 2020-2021.
• In the interest of consistency, a pause in calculations now could avoid any wild fluctuations over previous and future years.

Almost all of the regional calculations have undergone a year or more without an update. We’ve just never pressed pause for all of them at once.

As this crisis continues to unfold, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the flood of daily posts, briefings, updates, emergency alerts, breaking news stories, announcements, and directives. 

We at the Ontario Living Wage Network are thinking of the many certified living wage employers and their employees and their families at this time. Now more than ever we need these good and decent businesses and organizations.

New employers continue to apply for certification with us, and we are carrying on with our work as we always have. Of course we wont be doing in-person duties such as certificate presentations and other public appearances. 

Our thoughts are also with employers and their workers who have seen a downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Af of today, April 6th, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit applications are open in addition to several other measures. See Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan for individuals and businesses here:

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/economic-response-plan.html

Huron County is now the third municipality to become a certified living wage employer. This is terrific. We really need our cities and towns to step up—now more than ever—in the fight against working poverty.

“I am thrilled that we can join others in our area by becoming certified as a Living Wage employer,” says Meighan Wark, CAO of the County of Huron. “At the County of Huron, we believe that paying a Living Wage is a very important movement to help lift families out of poverty and provide a basic level of economic security...

On September 30th United Way Simcoe Muskoka, the Poverty Reduction Task Group, and the OLWN’s Anne Coleman presented on the living wage to Barrie City Council. Watch the presentation here, which begins at the 40-minute mark.

It is the latest in a steady stream of council appearances my colleague Anne has been making, racking up the travel kilometres from Hamilton to Kingston to Port Colborne and now Barrie.

As communications coordinator, it’s my job to help prepare for, catalog, and report on how these things go. Sometimes I’ll supply slides or other supporting materials. Of course there are often questions from the council members after such presentations.

The councillors in Barrie had several succinct exchanges with the presenters, and they seemed to have a genuine interest in what the living wage was and how it might impact the city they represent. It made me reflect on the other times the living wage has gone before a council in Ontario.

Niagara has been certifying living wage employers at a furious rate this year, and the latest is Gales Gas Bar, with 15 locations across the area. 

They currently employ 22 full time and 76 part time staff. The full time staff are all paid at least the living wage–$17.99/hour–and have embarked on a wage increase and benefits plan to bring the part time staff up to the same over the next few years. 

Some employers are able to certify at the champion level, where they can demonstrate that all full time, part time and contracted staff are paid the living wage. Other businesses, especially those in industries where minimum wage models dominate, a phased implementation is needed. 

We look forward to announcing this family owned and operated business as a certified living wage employer at the Champion level. 

Here is the press release from the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gale’s Gas Bar Limited Certified as a Living Wage Supporter

The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network is pleased to announce that Gale’s Gas Bar Limited has become a certified living wage employer at the Supporter level.

ST. MARYS, ON - Luckhardt Landworks Ltd. is the latest to certify as a Living Wage Employer in the champion category. They are the first business in St. Marys to achieve this status.

“Luckhardt Landworks Ltd. is proud to be a Living Wage Employer. Since the company’s beginnings, it has been important that we contribute to the local economy by providing a sustainable living to our employees – to provide a quality of life and to enable us to attract the right people to deliver a quality product,” says Bryn Luckhardt, Owner of Luckhardt Landworks Ltd. “A win-win situation for everyone - we have excellent employees and wonderful customers. We are excited to participate in the Living Wage campaign to bring awareness to the local community.”

Great article St. Catharines The Standard:

The drive to have Niagara employers pay a living wage hit a milestone this month — the 20th company signed on to the campaign. But paying all their workers enough that they can afford to live a decent life in the community is just part of it, said Justin Callon, co-owner of ServiceMaster Restore in St. Catharines."A lot of it is just providing the right atmosphere and treating people properly," he said. "Giving them a living wage definitely helps."

Read the full story here.

Low Wage work hurts families and undermines the local economy.

The rapid rise of low wage jobs is a growing concern in Ontario communities. Many of us no longer earn enough at our jobs to make ends meet. We face impossible choices. Buy food or paying the rent? Heat the apartment or fix the car? Growing numbers of us face spirally debt and constant anxiety about the future. More of us have long term health problems.
In Ontario nearly 1.7 million workers work at lower paid jobs.

There is a solution. It’s a Living Wage.

Over 170 employers across the province have made the commitment to pay their employees at least a living wage. More and more individuals, community groups, employers and politicians are showing their support for the living wage. We are asking every candidate in the 2018 Municipal Elections across Ontario to support the living wage movement in the province.

Municipalities hold a key to solving poverty by paying a living wage Municipal governments are anchor institutions in communities and have an opportunity to influence other employer organizations to do the right thing.

Cities of the 21st century must stand for fairness and equality. And not just in words, but with wages.

Please indicate you seat and ward/region in the comment section so visitors know where you are running. ENDORSEMENTS MADE WITHOUT THIS INFORMATION CANNOT BE MAPPED.

Should I be elected to public office, I pledge to advocate for our public sector employers to become certified Living Wage employers.

Thank you to everyone who spent the day with us in Burlington on February 23rd. There was a palpable energy to the panels, discussions and presentations. It reminded me of why I love working on events. 

If you weren't able to make it, don't worry. Posted on the event's page are downloadable audio recordings of every part of the day. You can also view/download the 3 slide decks that were shown in the public sector and campaign panels.

If you listen to just one audio clip, make it the final wrap-up session, hosted by Deirdre Pike. She facilitates a summary of the most valuable takeaways from each part of the day. And it's also crazy entertaining.