Gap between minimum wage and living wage grows to $3 an hour in Haldimand Norfolk region

By Mike Renzella

The Haldimand Press

HALDIMAND—According to United Way’s annual Living Wage report, Haldimand and Norfolk workers need to be making at least $17.35 an hour to cover their necessary expenses.

The living wage is the hourly wage a worker needs to earn to cover their family’s basic everyday expenses, such as food, housing, utilities, childcare, and transportation. It is calculated based on a family with two 35-year-old parents working full-time for 35 hours per week, one seven-year-old child who attends school and before and after school care, and one three-year-old in childcare full-time, year-round. United Way first reported on the wage two years ago, when it was set at $16.58.