Living wage much higher than minimum

By Chris Adams, September 4, 2014 —

Vibrant Communities Calgary (VCC) has calculated the city’s living wage, and it’s nowhere near what most students make.

The community development organization says that the city’s living wage is $17.29 per hour for a 35-hour work week, calling that a conservative estimate.

VCC used a national formula that takes local costs of living into account like rent, food and amenities. The organization used to use its own formula to calculate Calgary’s living wage, which it says used to sit at $14.50 per hour.

The $17.29 per hour living wage works out to annual earnings of $35,963 per year.

Alberta’s minimum wage is $10.20 per hour.

Statistics Canada found that in 2009, post-secondary students in Alberta were able to save around $9,000 over the summer. That’s only one-fifth of VCC’s living wage.