The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) continues to have the highest living wage rate in the province. The hourly earnings required for an individual to makes ends meet is now $26 per hour, up from $25.05 in 2023.
The Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN) released its updated Living Wage Rates for Ontario report on Monday and found there was an increase in all ten of the provincial regions it surveyed.
The OLWN defines a living wage as "the hourly wage a worker needs to earn to cover their basic expenses and participate in their community."
Although the GTA's living wage remains the province's highest, Southwest Ontario, which includes Windsor, Chatham-Kent and Sarnia, saw the biggest increase — from $18.65 to $19.85.
The lowest living wage region is London-Elgin-Oxford, where it rose from $18.85 to $19.50.
On Oct. 1, the provincial government announced an annual increase to the minimum wage — from $16.55 to $17.20 — but it's still not enough to cover expenses, especially in the GTA.
"There is still no place in Ontario where you could work full time [at minimum wage] and cover all your expenses," said the OLWN in its 2024 report.
While inflation has slowed in 2024, rising rental prices across the province continued to push the living wage up this year, the OLWN added. Food costs still remain relatively high.
To calculate the living wage, the OLWN aggregates spending for three types of households: two adults supporting two small children, a single parent and a single adult. The results also include applicable taxes, transfers and benefits.
