Report states a “living wage” in Lethbridge is $19/hour

The threshold is the highest in Canmore where the living wage is $37.40/hour.

Living wages take into account several factors, including:

A healthy family of four with two children (aged four and seven)
One child in full-time daycare, one in before- and after-school care
70 hours of employment between two parents, with each parent working 35 hours per week
One parent taking evening courses at a local college to improve employment capacity
Costs of living including transportation, food, rental housing, clothing, childcare, medical expenses, and others
Inclusion of tax credits, returns and government benefits; namely child tax benefits

The full list of 2021 living wages are as follows:

Calgary: $18.60
Canmore: $37.40
Chestermere: $18.60
Cochrane: $22.60
Drumheller: $19.70
Edmonton: $18.10
Fort McMurray: $27.35
Lethbridge $19.00
Red Deer $17.15
Rocky Mountain House $18.05
Stony Plain: $17.20
Strathcona County: $16.80

The general minimum wage in Alberta is $15 per hour, which has stayed flat since being introduced in October 2018. The newer youth minimum wage, in effect since June 2019, is $13.

Franco Savoia, Chair of the Alberta Living Wage Council, says about 400,000 Albertans have low incomes, about 60 per cent of whom are considered to be “working poor.”

“These Albertans often have to work multiple jobs just to get by. While struggling to support themselves and their families, it becomes difficult to save for the future or to be financially resilient when faced with difficult life events that cause unforeseen expenses. Living wages help lift up these individuals and are a necessary component to resilient cities and the economy.”

You can learn more about how living wages are calculated here.

by David Opinko

Report states a “living wage” in Lethbridge is $19/hour

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