The soaring cost of living is driving up the local “living wage” in Brantford-Brant and Haldimand-Norfolk.
A recent report from the Ontario Living Wage Network indicates residents in Brant Niagara Haldimand Norfolk need to make at least $19.80 an hour to make ends meet.
That’s up 14.1 per cent from 2021 when the local living wage was set at $17.35.
The report said the largest increase was in Sault Ste. Marie, where the living wage went up by 21.6 per cent since last year. Toronto’s living wage is the highest of all the regions, most of which have a living wage between $19 and $20.
Minimum wage in Ontario is $15.50 an hour.
The Ontario Living Wage Network’s living wage calculation uses the basic costs of living, such as housing, food, clothing and transportation, as well as factors including government benefits, to determine how much a worker needs to make hourly in order to live in their region .
Heather Vanner, executive director of Community Resource Service, which operates the Brantford Food Bank, said people living in low-income households are in precarious positions.
“Any change in their expenses can be a challenge,” said Vanner. “Higher food prices create economic strain on an already difficult situation.”
Although Vanner said food bank users are asked if they’re working, they’re not asked their income.
“What we’ve found over the past few months is that the number of households indicating they are working (either part time or full time) has increased by three per cent.
“A living wage would make a difference for a number of families and individuals we see who are in low-income situations and create a more food secure environment for their households.”
Food is one of the highest costs in the living wage calculator, said the report, and it’s gone up significantly this year with inflation.
According to the report, annual food costs in Brant Niagara Haldimand Norfolk for a family four are $10,205 and $3,524 for a single adult.
Local shelter costs, according to the report, are $18,500 for a family of four and $14,635 for a single adult.
Craig Pickthorne, communications coordinator for the Ontario Living Wage Network, said this year for the first time, the organization’s living wage calculations cover the entire province of Ontario, offering living wages for 10 economic regions defined by Statistics Canada.
There are now more than 500 employers certified with the Living Wage Network, including four in Brantford-Brant and Haldimand-Norfolk, meaning they agree to pay their employees the regional living wage calculated by the organization. More than half of those companies signed up since the pandemic began.
Pickthorne said areas with high numbers of certified employers, such as Niagara Falls, Kitchener and Hamilton, have active local organizers doing outreach and have had an updated living wage calculation for many years.
“We’ve only just added Brantford to our coverage map, and hope to start certifying new employers soon.”
He said certified employers report lower staff turnover, reduced training and recruitment costs, and better productivity and morale.
“They report their workers show less fatigue because they don’t have to hold down multiple jobs just to make ends meet,” said Pickthorne.
Employers who want to remain certified have six months to start paying workers the increased living wage.
-With files from Canadian Press