$16 living wage proposed for Waterloo Region families

Waterloo Region workers with families need to earn at least $16 per hour to afford the cost of living, according to a new report released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Released Thursday, the report was guided in part bya number of local non-profit groups andrepresentatives from the region's business community.

Itcalculates the basic cost of living for a family of four two working parents and two childrenby looking at everything from the cost of food and shelter to the cost of insurance and recreation. The calculation also includes a small contingency fund for emergencies.

"The living wage really tries to provide a standard of living where a family can live in dignity," said co-authorLyndseyButcher in an interview.

According to the report, that sort oflife in Waterloo Region would cost a family of four $65,868.75 each year, which works out to an hourly wage of $16 if both adults are working full time year-round.

The report is not suggesting that governments raise the minimum wage, which is $11 per hour for most employees in Ontario, said Butcher

"This is not...a mandated wage, it really is a suggestion for businesses," she said. "This is one way that employers in our community can play a role in reducing poverty...without having to wait for other levels of government to sort of step in."

Living on minimum wage a struggle

University student Lex McKenna is trying to support herself and her family on a part-time, minimum-wage job. She's managing, but is always worried about how she'll pay the bills.

"Do I have the money to buy this month's groceries? I'm not really sure. Am I going to have rent this month? I don't know;" she said.

If she were earning $16 per hour, McKenna said she could stop relying on student debt to get her through her studies.

Not everyone is convinced that the $16 living wage holds the key to a dignified life. Nicole King is currently earning $16 per hour, but saidshe's still struggling to make ends meet.

"Rent isn't that cheap...and then you've got groceries, babysitter, hydro, all those other bills," she said. "Everything that I have goes to what I need and then I'm left with not very much.

If employers raise their wages to $16 per hour, the cost of living will rise as well, she said.

Read the report here