Living Wage graphic

SRPC announces new living wage for Perth-Huron


Living Wage Week in Ontario runs Nov. 1 to Nov. 5 and United Way Perth-Huron’s Social Research and Planning Council (SRPC) is announcing the new living wage of $17.95 an hour for the region.

“The importance of a living wage is a meaningful discussion that needs to continue,” says SRPC Director Joelle Lamport-Lewis. “We understand the obstacles businesses face as our economy recovers from COVID-19 and the need to attract and retain a workforce. We also recognize how many local people are forced to make hard decisions for their families when it comes to allocating extremely limited resources and those challenges have only been magnified by the pandemic. The SRPC and UWPH want to remain at the forefront of the discussion around how to improve local lives and help ensure the recovery is a fair one for all members of our community. Living wage advocacy is a big part of that conversation.”

Based on a 35-hour work week, the Perth-Huron living wage was calculated using local data and considered 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, childcare and transportation. For more information about Perth-Huron’s living wage, go HERE.

“It was important to factor in different family types to more accurately reflect changing demographics and differing demands on individuals and families,” added Lamport-Lewis. “Childcare is a huge expense, for instance, and single adults don’t face those costs — or have access to those subsidies — so all those differences need to be taken into account so we can arrive at a more representative number.”

“Employers across Perth and Huron have been very open to hearing about the benefits of a living wage,” added United Way Perth-Huron Executive Director Ryan Erb. “Paying a living wage isn’t an easy decision — especially in these challenging times — but we find that businesses understand this is about more than just dollars and cents; it’s about investing in the long-term health of our community. We are also able to point to current living wage employers who are telling us it’s improving their bottom line, so this can be an opportunity for businesses as well as a benefit to workers.”

Share this: