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.

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:

Employer signup.

For media inquiries, please contact Craig Pickthorne, Communications Coordinator:

[email protected]
226-271-1457

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:

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:

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”

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.

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...

All rates are updated every year on the first Monday of November.
Download a full report on how these rates are calculated.

2023 Rates

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.

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.

In 2020 organizers with the Ontario living Wage Network (OLWN) created a federally incorporated non-profit called Living Wage Canada/Salaire Vital Canada. The OLWN had happily outgrown our host organization—the magnanimous Mennonite Central Committee Ontario—and it was time to launch a formal organization. 

We are still focused on Ontario operations, and will continue to conduct business as the OLWN in this province. But Living Wage Canada is also answering the call to provide organizational home to living wage leaders from across the country. There are currently 4 members of board, all from Ontario. We are looking to eventually add 5 more members. In addition to geographical representation we also look for diversity in identities protected by the Human Rights code, breadth of expertise/experience and, specialized skills and knowledge. 

For more details about this volunteer position, please head over to the Living Wage Canada board search page:

livingwage.ca/board

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.

2022 Rates

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.

Waterloo Region

Niagara Region

Perth Huron

Peterborough & District

2019 Reports

Toronto

Peterborough & District

Ottawa

Niagara Region

Kingston

It has been a frequent request: "What is the living wage for Mississauga/Brampton?" Today, with the help of the Region of Peel and the Peel Poverty Reduction Committee we can now say that rate has been calculated at $19.80 per hour.

The Ontario Living Wage Network paused all calculation work in 2020, due to barriers to year-to-year consistency issues caused by the pandemic. We are excited to not only get back to this work in 2021, but to also add such a large and heavily populated area to our map of coverage. 

Local calculations are the starting blocks of the living wage movement; the real race is to certify as many living wage employers as possible. The problem of working poverty is understood well by our first certified living wage employer in Peel: The Mississauga Food Bank.