Learn about earning a living wage in Niagara

Workforce challenges and opportunities, and earning a living wage are the topics of a public Zoom meeting sponsored by the Niagara District Council of Women (NDCW) this Wednesday.

Guest speaker Thalia Semplonius is the project and research lead at Workforce Collective, a non-profit organization serving the Niagara Region. Semplonius analyzes and reports on labour market data to understand trends related to issues like women in work, youth employment and labour shortages. Data specific to Niagara-on-the-Lake can be found at workforcecollective.ca.

Anne Coleman, program manager for the Ontario Living Wage network — a living wage is not the same as minimum wage where employers are required to pay a legislated minimum — is also one of the presenters at the Nov. 20 meeting.

A living wage reflects what people need to earn to cover the actual costs of living in their community and is determined by drawing on community-specific data to determine the expenses of a family with two working adults and two children.

According to NDCW social justice convenor Gracia Janes, these topics are as timely  as ever. Not only are we recovering from the repercussions of COVID-19, she said, we are also facing multiple employee strikes, privatization and food bank crises.

“More and more people are having to choose between heating the house or feeding the kids,” said Janes. “Families are working long hours and maybe two or three jobs just to pay for basic necessities.”

Only 89 Niagara Region employers have registered with Ontario Living Wage network, and only two employers, Meridian Credit Union and Martin Construction, have registered as businesses from Niagara-on-the-Lake that pay a living wage. Information about becoming a living wage employer can be found at ontariolivingwage.ca.

Paying a living wage also helps the employer, said Janes. “When you pay a good wage, a decent wage, you keep your employees and you don't have this constant turnover.”

Launched just last year, the Workforce coalition connects many partners, including the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, to collect information, and to plan and work together to reach workforce potential. They are a practical hub for addressing local labour market challenges and resourcing needs.

Wednesday’s meeting will “include an update on the living wage,” plus a broadening of the current situation in the workforce by inviting Workforce Collective, said Janes.

“I'm hoping they'll be able to point us in the direction of all the different solutions,” said Janes.  “You can't guarantee we will solve the problems, but it will help because if people are educated and they know where to go and who to go to and they know what the situation is, perhaps they can help people.”

The Zoom meeting starts promptly at 7:30 p.m. and is expected to last about an hour. To register, email  [email protected].