As the cost of essentials continues to balloon, particularly for housing and food, qathet region's living wage has climbed to $25.06 per hour for 2023, marking an increase of 7.4 per cent, or $1.73, from last year, the 2023 living wage update report shows.
According to a media release from Lift Community Services, the local living wage is among the highest in BC.
The living wage, calculated by Lift, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) BC Office and Living Wage for Families BC, is the hourly rate that each of two parents working full-time must earn to support a family of four based on the actual costs of living in a particular community, the release stated.
“Although inflation has dropped from last year’s historic highs, the cost of living across BC continues to increase rapidly,” stated Lift executive director Stuart Clark. “Soaring costs of food and housing are making it harder than ever before to make ends meet in Powell River and qathet.
“This report follows the recent point-in-time homeless count that identified 126 people in qathet without housing. There’s a direct correlation between the cost of living and an increase in homelessness. BC and Canada need to take urgent action to make major investments in non-market rental housing, which could help make life more affordable for people in qathet and throughout the province.”
The living wage is how much a worker needs to earn to pay for basic essentials such as food and rent, along with the ability to have an active and fulfilling family and personal life. It is calculated using a basic budget that does not include paying off debt, saving for the future or the cost of caring for a loved one, according to the release.
Other BC communities with high living wages include Clayoquot Sound ($26.51 per hour), Golden ($25.78 per hour), Metro Vancouver ($25.68 per hour), the lower Sunshine Coast ($25.61 per hour), and Greater Victoria ($25.40 per hour).
The release stated that over the past few years, the living wage has increased dramatically, as rents have skyrocketed, and the cost of groceries has soared across the province. Housing costs, which take into consideration the cost of basic mobile phone and home internet plans, demand an added $912 per month from budgets, a spike of 57 per cent, in the past year. Food, the second most expensive item in the living wage family budget, is an extra $76 per month, increasing by 6.1 per cent.
The living wage report found that families with children in licensed child care are benefitting from recent government investments to reduce fees. However, lack of spaces remains a serious issue and many parents are forced to reduce their hours of work or rely on more expensive, unlicensed child-care providers who do not qualify for the fee reductions.
Many BC workers earn less than the living wage and face impossible choices: buy groceries or heat the house, keep up with bills or pay the rent on time, the release stated.
“In the last two years, the gap between the minimum wage and living wages in BC has grown significantly,” stated Clark. “This gap is now just over $8 per hour in our region.
“BC’s low-wage workers need a raise, but the labour market alone can’t resolve all economic insecurities. Governments can and should do more to address the cost of living crisis that people are facing across the province.”
Living Wage for Families BC works with communities across BC to calculate their local living wage. A project of the Vancity Community Foundation, the living wage is calculated in partnership with CCPA-BC and is published in an annual report, available online at livingwageforfamilies.ca.
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