Lobby for a living wage: a new hourly rate revealed

London, Ont. -

The living wage calculation is based on the expenses faced by a family of four with two children, ages three and seven, factoring in tax breaks and government supports.

The Ontario Living Wage Network routinely updates what the wage should be for a number of communities. In London, the living wage figure is $16.55 an hour.

"As an employer I know recruiting and keeping staff is really expensive,” said

Elgin Middlesex United Way CEO Kelly Ziegner. She sees the value in paying to retain staff, and recognizes broader benefits in the community. "If we're able to have people not just scraping by in order to feed their families or pay their rent and they're actually able to go out once in a while to a restaurant or to visit a local shop, we know that that's better for our community, as a whole."

Daniella Garcia's family fits the Living Profile exactly, a family of four with two young children. She's tentatively encouraged by the minimum wage bump, "Fifteen an hour is not so bad, but not so good."

A dentist by trade, Garcia arrived from Brazil just 15 days ago and is going to Fanshawe College to get certified in Canada.

For now, her family is facing economic challenges many Londoners can relate to, but she says opportunities are available here that weren’t available in Brazil so she’s ready to take on those challenges.

"It's easier to live here if you want to work and want to improve your skills."

One of the current challenges to establishing a living wage is how the pandemic has dramatically shifted inflation, with significant increases in the cost of gas and food, among other things.

Bob Simpson sees that with his own family, "I've got grandchildren, young, too. Sometimes I don't know how they make it, especially paying high rent."

Ziegner says the living wage initiative is intended strictly as a recommendation for employers, with the hopes they’ll see the benefits in adopting the number, "We're talking about families and individuals who, daily, have to make impossible choices: do I pay my rent, do I buy groceries, do I buy new indoor shoes for my kids at school? Every day is a series of these impossible choices.”

Ziegner says whatever can be done to help diminish those tough choices will result in benefits for everyone in the community.