YAPC: 2nd Annual Living Wage calculation for Whitehorse released

Whitehorse – The Yukon Anti Poverty Coalition is pleased to release “Living Wage in Whitehorse, Yukon: 2017”. The Coalition has committed to calculating the living wage each year to maintain a current and accurate measurement of the cost of living in Whitehorse. Calculating the living wage on an annual basis allows us to measure the impact of policy changes on the ability of low- and modest-income families to meet their basic needs.

According to Living Wage Canada, the living wage equals the hourly rate of pay that a family requires to meet basic needs such as adequate housing and nutritious food after accounting for government transfers (e.g. Canada Child Benefit) and deductions from income (e.g. income taxes and EI premiums).

The living wage for Whitehorse is $18.26 per hour in 2017, a decrease of $0.86 per hour compared to last year when the living wage equalled $19.12 per hour. The decrease in the living wage occurred primarily due to two policy changes enacted by the federal government in Budget 2016. An increase to the Canada Child Benefit and an increase to the Northern Living Allowance more than offset the increase in the cost of basic household needs.

“We hope the 2nd annual report will push us as a community to address the high cost of living and also help us to understand that there are tangible tools that can be used by the territorial and municipal government to address affordability” says Bill Thomas, a Co-Chair with the Coalition.

Documents

• Report (PDF)
• Infographic (PDF)
• 2017 Calculation Guide (PDF)

For more information

• Kendall Hammond, author of report: (778) 676-6506
• Kate Mechan, Community Outreach: 334-9317

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