The Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN) has released the 2024 Living Wage for Halton Region, calculated at $26.00 per hour. This new figure reflects a 3.8% increase over 2023’s living wage of $25.05 per hour, highlighting the persistent challenge of high living costs, especially as rising rental expenses continue to exert pressure on household budgets.
According to recent calculations from OLWN, the average living wage increase across Ontario was 3.34%, signaling a gradual easing in inflation but underscoring that costs for essentials remain elevated. Rental costs have been a particularly significant driver of the increase. Housing data from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), supported by Statistics Canada median rent data and the Canadian Rental Housing Index, reveals that rent has continued to rise in Halton and other major metropolitan areas, even as inflation decelerates.
Other factors in the 2024 living wage calculation include stabilizing but high food prices, modest increases in transportation costs, and reduced childcare expenses under the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program, though costs for older children have seen a slight increase. The living wage accounts for all these essential expenses, aiming to ensure that a full-time, year-round worker in Halton can meet their basic needs and participate fully in their community.
"CDH is one of 18 certified living wage employers in Halton. The 2024 living wage rate brings attention to the growing wage gap in Halton Region," said Rishia Burke, Executive Director, CDH. "With the Ontario minimum wage currently at $17.20 per hour, a full-time minimum wage worker earns over $16,000 less per year than a living wage earner, underscoring the inadequacy of minimum wages in meeting even basic living costs."
The concept of a living wage, calculated annually by the OLWN in partnership with local communities, differs from the minimum wage in that it represents the income needed to ensure individuals and families can afford essential expenses. For Halton, these include food, shelter, transportation, childcare, adult education, and more.
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