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In 2021 The INN became a certified living wage employer. What does this mean?  We are committed to pay at minimum the hourly wage a worker needs to earn to cover their basic expenses and participate in their community. Living wage employers voluntarily decide to pay a living wage and maintain their certification as new rates are calculated for their area.

 

A living wage is not the same as the minimum wage. The living wage is calculated based on the needs of a family of four with two parents each working full-time, full-year. It would also support a family throughout the life cycle so that young adults are not discouraged from having children and older workers have some extra income as they age. Communities across Ontario use the National Living Wage Framework to calculate their local living wage rate.

 

The living wage includes: food, clothing, shelter, child care, transportation, medical expenses, recreation, a modest vacation. The living wage does not include: retirement savings, debt repayment, home ownership, savings for children’s education, anything other than the smallest cushion for emergencies or hard times.

 

Community Living Wages (a sample):

 

$16.15 Waterloo Region

$16.33 Chatham Kent

$16.57 St. Thomas Elgin

$16.90 Guelph

$17.44 Perth and Huron

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