The cost of living has up over by over two dollars locally over the last year.
The United Way Perth Huron’s Social Research and Planning Council says the rate is now at $22.75 an hour, up from $20.70.
Based on a 35-hour work week, the rate is calculated by considering the living expenses of a weighted average of family types including a family of four, a single mother supporting a seven-year-old child, and a single adult, once government transfers and deductions were taken into account.
Everyday expenses in the calculation included food, housing, utilities, clothing, childcare, and transportation.
“As the cost of living in the places we call home continues to rise, it’s becoming more important than ever for people across our communities to talk about how we can make our region more livable and that includes concepts like a living wage,” says Kristin Crane, director of Social Research & Planning. “This year, we’re seeing the increases in the
cost of food and housing driving the increase in the living wage. Food and shelter are obviously fundamental to personal well-being, and that highlights how important it is for wages to be responsive to inflation so the economic pressures many individuals and families face are reduced.”
Living Wage Week in Ontario runs from November 6th to the 12th.
