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Updated 2024 Living Wage Rates
As inflation has calmed in the past year the 2024 living wage rates have increased by an average of 3.4%. For the most part the increase to this year’s living wage rate is mainly due to rising costs for rent in our province. Inflation of food costs may have calmed but still remain high relative to earlier years.
As expected, the Greater Toronto Area continues to have the highest living wage rate at $26.00, up from $25.05. The London-Elgin-Oxford region has the lowest in the province at $19.50, up from $18.85.
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Info Session for Potential Employers
We could talk about the living wage for hours non-stop, but it is employers who make the best case for certification. Know of someone in the restaurant/service sector who might benefit from a session with other certified living wage owners and managers? Fire this link their way.
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2023 Living Wage Rates
It's Living Wage Week 2023, and as always, we lead off with the updated living wage rates. This year saw increases in all 10 regions, with the GTA as the highest at $25.05 and the Southwest (Windsor) coming in at $18.85. Use our interactive map to find your local rate.
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Craig Pickthorne published August 2023 Monthly Update in Newsletter Signup 2023-08-25 13:42:57 -0400
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Contact the Ontario Living Wage Network
Note: new living wage rates will be posted on Nov 18th, 2024.
Please feel free to use this form to send us your questions, comments or concerns.
Are you an employer looking to become living wage certified? Please head over to our sign-up page to begin that process:
For media inquiries, please contact Craig Pickthorne, Communications Coordinator:
[email protected]
226-271-1457
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Landscaped with a living wage
Spring is in the air. For many, the retreat of the white stuff reveals a load of yard work and landscaping. We've put together a handy list and map of every certified living wage company that could help you prepare your grounds this season.
While many job postings in this sector begin at or near the minimum wage, these employers pay all workers at least a locally calculated living wage:
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New increase, same story
Ontario's minimum wage is set to increase to $16.55 an hour on October 1, 2023. While this is technically a raise for those at the very bottom of the wage scale, it's still far short of the living wage anywhere in the province.
Despite small wage increases over the last few years, we know that "...64 per cent of Canadian workers have experienced real wage losses over the past two years, after adjusting for inflation" via a report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives economist David Macdonald.
Here's how the $1.05 raise compares to regional living wages:
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Craig Pickthorne published Meridian Credit Union becomes largest certified living wage employer in Ontario in News 2022-11-14 14:39:12 -0500
Meridian Credit Union becomes largest certified living wage employer in Ontario
Fair compensation for employees translates to improved financial and overall well-being
TORONTO— Meridian marks an important milestone today in becoming the largest employer to become certified by the Ontario Living Wage Network. A living wage reflects an income that a worker must bring home in order to meet their basic living needs and participate more fully in life, work and community.
“Our employees power Meridian’s purpose and we have a commitment to support their financial security and economic well-being,” says Jay-Ann Gilfoy, President & CEO, Meridian. “As a Certified Living Wage Employer, we are building resilience and wealth in the communities where we live and work”
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Craig Pickthorne published New living wage rates calculated; all have gone up to reflect increased costs. in News 2022-11-14 13:28:05 -0500
New living wage rates calculated; all have gone up to reflect increased costs.
KITCHENER—The Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN) has completed 10 living wage rate calculations covering all regions of Ontario, and now range from $18.05 in London to $23.15 in the GTA. All rates saw an increase, with largest jump in Sault Ste. Marie: $16.20 in 2021 to $19.70, representing a 21.6% increase.
Despite the recent increases to the minimum wage to $15.50, there is no region in the province where this is even close to a living wage.
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Living Wage Week 2022
Let's get right to the headline news...we have updated all living wage rates for the province!
As announced earlier, we've moved to a regional system. By doing this we'll be able to update all 10 living wage rates every year on the second Monday of November, and every employer in the province will be able to seek certification with us. Previous years have see us add new living wage calculations to our map, but there was always gaps in our coverage. If we continued on with the old boundary system, we would have needed to keep an unwieldy 51 local living wage rates updated every year...
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All rates are updated every year in November. This year they will be released on November 18th. Sign up for updates to have them delivered to your inbox.
Download a full report on how these rates are calculated.
2024 Rates
Region 2023 2024 % Increase Greater Toronto Area $ 25.05 $ 26.00 3.8% Grey Bruce Perth Huron Simcoe $ 22.75 $ 23.05 1.3% Ottawa $ 21.95 $ 22.80 3.9% East $ 20.60 $ 21.65 5.1% Dufferin Guelph Wellington Waterloo $ 20.90 $ 21.30 1.9% Hamilton $ 20.80 $ 21.30 2.4% Brant Haldimand Norfolk Niagara $ 20.35 $ 20.90 2.7% North $ 19.80 $ 20.30 2.5% Southwest $ 18.65 $ 19.85 6.4% London Elgin Oxford $ 18.85 $ 19.50 3.4%
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Craig Pickthorne published Minimum wage increases in Ontario won’t help with the rising cost of living, owner says in News 2022-10-03 10:57:51 -0400
Minimum wage increases in Ontario won’t help with the rising cost of living, owner says
Ontario's minimum wage increased 50 cents an hour over the weekend, but Aiana owner Devinder Chaudhary says the increase to $15.50 won’t help with the rising cost of living.
"The minimum wage should be the living wage,” Chaudhary said.
His Ottawa restaurant is part of the Ontario Living Wage Network, paying his employees a minimum of $18.60 an hour. That is the calculated wage an Ottawa resident needs to adequately cover expenses like food, clothing, shelter, medical and other expenses.
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Craig Pickthorne published Leith Wheeler Certified Living Wage Employer in 3 Provinces in News 2022-06-14 14:04:25 -0400
Leith Wheeler Certified Living Wage Employer in 3 Provinces
One of the goals of the living wage movement in Canada is to be able to certify employers with multiple locations across the country. We have one of our first tastes of this as we certify Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd., which also has offices in Alberta and British Columbia.
In Ontario, we have been working together with our friends in the Living Wage for Families BC and Alberta Living Wage Network to synchronize our efforts and timeframes to this end. It has been really helpful to learn from the experiences and initiatives of other campaigns, and we hope to "share" many more certified employers in the coming years.
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Craig Pickthorne published Libro Credit Union: Deeply Invested In The Living Wage Movement in News 2021-11-05 11:57:32 -0400
Libro Credit Union: Deeply Invested In The Living Wage Movement
Over five years ago Libro Credit Union, the largest credit union in Southwestern Ontario, became a certified Living Wage employer. It wasn't a surprise. They had been active at many roundtables and community groups concerned with—among other things—tackling the problem of working poverty. Like many organizations that make up the Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN), Libro saw it necessary to lead by example and make public their certification.
Credit unions have always been early and potent champions of the living wage movement. We list 8 at the moment, with dozens of branches all over Ontario. In addition to being certified, we are pleased to announce that Libro Credit Union will be supporting the work of the Ontario Living Wage Network directly over the next three years with a generous annual financial contribution.
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Calculation Archive
2023 Report
Calculating Ontario's Living Wage Rates
2022 Report
In 2022 the OLWN transitioned to a system of 10 centrally calculated living wage rates, all done by our staff with assistance from local organizers.
Calculating Ontario's Living Wage Rates
2021 Reports
Prior to 2022, local living wage rates were calculated and peer-reviewed on an annual basis where possible. Some calculations were completed by a local organizing group, while others were conducted entirely by OLWN staff.
2019 Reports
Craig Pickthorne
Communications Coordinator for the Ontario Living Wage Network/Living Wage Canada. Proudly serving this growing movement's needs in all areas of digital, logistics and design.