The Ontario Living Wage Network's latest data on certified employers across the province once again includes the City of Cambridge.
The city was notably absent for a brief period back in November after OLWN upped its standards for a living wage from $17.20 to $19.95 per hour for the region of Dufferin, Waterloo and Guelph-Wellington.
The 16 per cent increase required review and approval to see if it fit into the city's pay structure.
With the return of the city, Cambridge saw a slight uptick from four to five employers that are certified. Cambridge Farm and Forest School, Cambridge Non-Profit Housing Corporation, Meridian Credit Union in Galt and Hespeler and YNCU Cambridge were the other local employers that are recognized by the OLWN.
Meridian became the largest living wage employer in Ontario back in November of 2022.
Craig Pickthorne, communications coordinator for the Ontario Living Wage Network, says that all employees must earn the living wage that's been determined. If some are not, there needs to be a timeline to get them up to the required pay rate within six months.
“In order to be certified, companies must pay all full-time employees at least a local living wage,” Pickthorne said last year.
“If part-time and contract employees are not at that level, they must agree to a timeline to bring them up."
To calculate the pay rate needed to be considered, the OLWN determines the cost of basic goods and services for three types of families: two parents aged 35 and two children aged 7 and 3, a single parent (35) with a child aged 7 and a single adult. The costs include food, shelter, child care, along with communication including cell phone and internet, medical expenses, transportation, clothing and footwear and “other.”
Looking more broadly, the region has the most certified employers of any of the 10 defined regions with 106, 70 of which are in Waterloo Region. The OLWN recently consolidated 28 regions down to 10 to make data collection more straight forward.
The Greater Toronto Area ranks second with 99 and the southwest region is last with six.
The number of certified employers in Waterloo region has continually increased since 2016 when there were just 8. Before the 70 this year, there were 59 in 2022 and 45 in 2021.
Pickthorne says there are a number of benefits to being certified.
“Our directory page is the most visited on our website,” he said.
“People want to know that the businesses they're supporting values the work of their employees and the communities where they live. There’s no better way of communicating that then to be publicly certified.”
The OLWN is an organization of employers, employees, non-profits, researchers, and proponents of decent work standards for all Ontario workers.
For more information on the Ontario Living Wage Network visit ontariolivingwage.ca.
