This is how much workers in Waterloo region and Guelph need to make per hour to cover the cost of living

Produce vegetables are displayed for sale at a grocery store in Aylmer, Que., on Thursday, May 26, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Workers in Waterloo region and Guelph need to make at least $19.95 per hour to cover the basic cost of living, according to the Ontario Living Wage Network’s (OLWN) annual report released Monday.

That’s around $2.25 more per hour than OLWN says was needed a year ago and $4.45 more than the current provincially legislated minimum wage of $15.50 per hour.

“This year’s living wage calculations emerge from a backdrop of record-breaking inflation and Consumer Price Index increases, and workers at the bottom end of the wage scale are most vulnerable to these kinds of fluctuations,” OLWN said in the report.

To determine the living wage, the organization factors in expenses like shelter, food, transportation, medical expenses, childcare, cell phone and internet bills.

The report's authors calculated the expenses for three types of families, including a single adult, a single parent with one child, and two adults supporting two small children. It then takes a weighted average based on the proportion of adults in each family type in Ontario based on census data

The calculations are based on a 35-work week and also factor in government transfers like the Canada Child Benefit.

This year, OLWN combined Guelph/Wellington and Waterloo Region into a single region, Waterloo Dufferin Guelph-Wellington, which it ranked as the third most expensive in the province.

The only more expensive regions were the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), where OLWN says $23.15 per hour is needed and Grey Bruce Perth Huron Simcoe, where $20.70 per hour is needed.