We need everyone in Toronto to make at least a living wage, now.
Toronto has gotten increasingly more expensive as housing and other costs continue to rise. This is leaving more and more people behind as the wealth gap widens.
CERB set the standard that $2,000 is the minimum someone needs each month to survive but many people are making less than that. For those on social assistance or not making a living wage, living in Toronto is even more difficult.
A single adult on Ontario Works will only receive $733 this month ($8,796 annually) to cover all their expenses.
A single recipient of ODSP will get $1,169 to cover all their needs this month, regardless of the additional medical or housing requirements that come with living with a mental or physical disability. That is $14,028 a year.
People making minimum wage right now, working 40 hours per week, will need to cover all their costs with $1,944 this month, which is gross $27,800/year.
The living wage in Toronto is $22.08 per hour, which is $2,867/month or just over $42,900/year. A living wage is the hourly wage a worker needs to earn to cover their basic expenses and participate in their community; it is calculated based on the real costs in our city.
Communities not making a living wage are most at risk of being impacted by the enormous economic and health threats COVID-19 poses.
Sign our petition to call for everyone to make a living wage!