Edmonton's living wage jumped by $1.54 an hour in 2 years: report
The minimum income needed to maintain a modest standard of living in Edmonton has increased by more than $1.50 an hour since 2019, the Alberta Living Wage Network (ALWN) found.
The ALWN, a newly launched network of local agencies and municipalities, released its list of 2021 living wages for 12 Alberta municipalities on Monday.
The living wage for Edmontonians was calculated at $18.10 an hour, compared to $16.56 per hour two years ago.
According to the ALWN, a living wage is calculated based on the income needs of a young family of four to maintain a modest standard of living after government transfers have been added and taxes have been subtracted.
“We’re not talking about living high on the hog by any means, even within a living wage," executive director for the Edmonton Social Planning Council (ESPC) Susan Morrissey told CTV News Edmonton.
"It’s what people need to do in order to not have to be all stressed out about where they’re going to buy their groceries, whether they have to go to the food bank, whether they can continue to rent where they live."
Morrissey said the ESPC hopes the latest numbers help people recognize that a living wage is not the same as minimum wage.
"As costs continue to go up, and we see this every single day, cost of food going up, cost of utilities, whatever, minimum wage is really not keeping pace with that," she said.
"(The living wage) is beyond just minimum of what people need to live. This is the ability to live with a little bit of dignity, with a modest income that covers off your food costs, appropriate shelter costs, transportation, maybe a little bit of money set aside for the odd emergency."
Alberta's minimum wage is $15 an hour, but that figure is currently under review by the province.
The ESPC executive director said Alberta employers should be expected to pay their workers a living wage at least.
"I think it's good for our province," said Morrissey. "It increases spending power when people have money in their wallets."
"How do low income individuals spend their money when they have it? They spend it on their kids, they spend it on better quality food, they spend it on more appropriate housing and safe housing."
Morrissey also pointed out that a single individual, or single parent household would need a higher income than the listed living wage.
"You've only got one income coming into the household, or in the case of a single person you don't necessarily qualify for any subsidies or any of the government transfers and help that a single parent may be."
The living wage calculated for Edmonton was on the lower end compared to some other Alberta communities.
Canmore was deemed the most expensive with a living wage of $37.40 an hour, while Strathcona County was listed as the least expensive at $16.80 an hour.
Here is the ALWN's full list of living wages for 2021:
- Calgary: $18.60
- Canmore: $37.40
- Chestermere: $18.60
- Cochrane: $22.60
- Drumheller: $19.70
- Edmonton: $18.10
- Fort McMurray: $27.35
- Lethbridge: $19.00
- Red Deer: $17.15
- Rocky Mountain House: $18.05
- Stony Plain: $17.20
- Strathcona County: $16.80
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
Grayson Murray's parents say the two-time PGA Tour winner died of suicide
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event.
The dreams of a 60-year-old beauty contestant come to an abrupt end in Argentina
A 60-year-old woman saw her dreams of becoming the oldest Miss Universe contestant in history melt away in a haze of sequins and selfies Saturday at Argentina’s annual beauty pageant.
At least 15 dead after severe weather carves path of ruin across multiple U.S. states in the South
Powerful storms killed at least 15 people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.
2 died in plane crash near Squamish, B.C., police confirm
Two people died after a plane went down in a remote area near Squamish, B.C. on Friday, authorities have confirmed.
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
After more than 100 years, Newfoundland's unknown soldier returns home
An unknown Newfoundland soldier, who fought and died on the battlefields in northeastern France during the First World War, is back home this weekend for the first time in more than a hundred years.
Some birds may use 'mental time travel,' study finds
Real quick — what did you have for lunch yesterday? Were you with anyone? Where were you? Can you picture the scene? The ability to remember things that happened to you in the past, especially to go back and recall little incidental details, is a hallmark of what psychologists call episodic memory — and new research indicates that it’s an ability humans may share with birds called Eurasian jays.
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.