The 2022-23 Living Wage for SDGCA is $19.05 per hour ($33,337 annually)

PROVIDED BY UNITED WAY/CENTRAIDE STORMONT, DUNDAS & GLENGARRY

More than 40% of people living in SDGCA make less than $30,000 per year

United Way Centraide SDG (UWC SDG) shares the 2022-23 living wage for Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, Cornwall and Akwesasne (SDGCA) to highlight the disparity between income and cost of living in this community.

According to the Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN) – a network of employers, employees, non-profits, and researchers – $19.05 per hour ($33,337 annually) is the minimum an individual needs to earn to support themselves and/ or their families to cover basic expenses such as shelter, food, childcare, clothing and footwear, communications, insurance, and transportation. This wage calculation considers government transfers the family/individual may receive (like the Canada Child Benefit, the Ontario CARE benefit, etc.) to supplement this income.

Minimum wage in Ontario is currently $15.50 which is 22.9% less than what’s required to cover basic expenses. According to the 2021 census, over 40% of individuals and families in SDGCA are making less than $30,000 per year. In Cornwall, specifically, this number is over 50%. This means that half of the residents in this city are living in poverty. rising number of people facing homelessness,” said Juliette Labossière, UWC SDG Executive Director, “A living wage alone won’t solve the complexity of poverty in our community, but paying employees what they need to make ends meet is a critical step towards helping those who are able to work full-time afford to live and participate in the place they call home.”

To calculate the living wage, the OLWN draws on community-specific data to determine regional expenses. In SDGCA, the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) is a key source for this local understanding that helps determine the living wage each year.

“We’re feeling the impact of this gap in the social sector. In the past year, there has been a 120% increase in local foodbank usage, a growing demand for mental health services, and a