Ontario minimum wage has increased from $17.20 to $17.60 an hour. A 40-cent difference.
The adjustment is tied to the Ontario Consumer Price Index, which measures how the cost of goods and services change over time.
Craig Pickthorne, director of communications for the Ontario Living Wage Network, says “because of the cost of living that 40 cents per hour just disappears into the void as things get more and more expensive.”
“In London, we calculate the living wage to be $19.50… but just right now, $19.50 versus $17.60, that’s a difference of $1.90 and that’s over $66 a week that a worker is short being able to make ends meet if they’re working a minimum wage job in London.”
“The shelter costs are the largest line items in our calculations. If they were brought under control in a predictable way, then that could really have an impact on minimum wage,” said Pickthorne. “Even if it’s below a living wage, it would just go farther because you wouldn’t have to pour so much into just simply having a place to live.”
Hallway of Fanshawe college leading to the student centre.
Photo taken by James Burnard
Fanshawe college students shared mixed feelings about the minimum wage increase with some welcoming the change and others saying it is not enough.
“The increase is nice, the reality of everything else increasing kind of sucks,” said Alexus
“It doesn’t really do much of a difference, but something is better than nothing,” said William
“As a student living independently, grocery prices are a big issue for me,” said Ever. “Even that small increase over the hours of working can make a pretty big difference.”
The Ontario Living Wage Network calculated London’s living wage to be $19.50 an hour, the lowest in the province. They are updating the living wage calculations on Nov. 10 where they say it is expected to increase.
