United Way Peterborough Releases 2021 Living Wage Report
On November 1, 2021, CEO Jim Russell announced the release of the most recent Living Wage Report at the Stewart Street offices of the United Way . Joining Russell were committee members Stephanie Levesque, Michael Andrews, Dawn Berry-Merriam, Nancy Fischer, Stephanie Levesque and Paul Armstrong.
The Living Wage is a calculation of what a worker needs to earn per hour to make ends meet and participate in civic and cultural life. The calculation is based on major expenses such as food, rent, childcare, transportation, as well as other expenses such as internet and post-secondary education. Peterborough is one of 23 communities across the province that undertakes to produce this number on an
annual basis. The calculation considers the local realities and expenses of any given community. Historically the calculation has looked at the scenario on a household of 4 – 2 adults and two kids – in arriving
at the calculation.
“This year we broadened the research to look at additional scenarios specifically at single parent household with one child and a single adult household with no children,” said United Way Peterborough CEO Jim Russell. The Canadian Living Wage Framework was created in 2007, in part to combat child poverty at the time. Since that time, the federal government has brought in the Canada Child Benefit, additionally the province has implemented additional child tax credits.
The Ontario Living Wage Network encourages employers to become certified as ‘Living Wage Employers” and the “weighted” number for certification purposes for Peterborough this year is $18.35 per hour. This being arrived at through a combination of all three household scenarios.
“A decent income is a pathway to health,” states Russell, “This living wage calculation allows for a basic modest lifestyle. Our hope is that a conversation in communities across the province will focus on the actual costs and challenges that households face when it comes to income.”
Read the full report HERE
