Metro Vancouver living wage $18.17: CCPA
Business in Vancouver
04 May 2010

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) and two other non-profits have determined that $18.17 per hour is the living wage for raising a family in Metro Vancouver in 2010. In a report released Tuesday morning, the CCPA said that that each parent in a family would need to work full-time at an hourly wage of $18.17 in Metro Vancouver in order to pay for necessities, support the healthy development of their children and participate in the social and civil life of their communities.

The living wage calculation includes basic expenses (such as housing, child care, food and transportation) for a two-earner family with two young children, as well as government taxes, credits, deductions and subsidies.

The 2010 living wage of $18.17 is an increase of $1.43 over the 2008 calculation.

According to the report, among the factors driving the increase is the rising cost of food and rent increases.

According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., the median rent for a three-bedroom apartment in Vancouver went up about 7.8% in two years. Childcare costs for families also increased $113 per month in two years, according to the report.

The report, which the CCPA conducted with First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition and the Metro Vancouver Living Wage for Families Campaign, is called Living Wage 2010: Making Paid Work Meet Basic Family Needs in Metro Vancouver….