Click to view the 2020 Living Wage Brief and learn how we calculate it.
Reflecting on the past year many truths have been uncovered. We’ve discovered the importance of front-line workers risking their health to enable us to buy groceries or deliver packages or food. We’ve discovered the importance of care workers and meat packing plant workers, who despite challenging work conditions can often be among the lowest paid. We’ve discovered that the lowest paid were the hardest hit by the pandemic.
Reflecting on the past year many truths have been uncovered. We’ve discovered the importance of front-line workers risking their health to enable us to buy groceries or deliver packages or food. We’ve discovered the importance of care workers and meat packing plant workers, who despite challenging work conditions can often be among the lowest paid. We’ve discovered that the lowest paid were the hardest hit by the pandemic.
And despite the economic downturn, little has changed in terms of the cost of living in Calgary.
After a one-year hiatus, Vibrant Communities Calgary felt it was important to calculate a new living wage reflecting how expensive it is to live in a city like Calgary. The new living wage for Calgary is $20.69 per hour.
How is it calculated?
The living wage is calculated on the income needs of a two-parent family with two young children. It considers the hourly rate of pay needed for a household to meet its basic needs once government transfers have been added to the family’s income and taxes have been subtracted. The methodology assumes that both parents are working full-time hours of employment. Indicators include more than the basics of food, clothing and shelter, the calculator also takes into account unexpected costs, small investments in education, and home costs.