Kawartha Lakes ‘living wage’ now $22.20 according to new 2025 data

Minimum wage not high enough to cover expenses

Recent data from the Ontario Living Wage Network revealed that a living wage in Kawartha Lakes is now $22.20 per hour. That’s $4.60 more than the current minimum wage.

A living wage is the hourly wage a worker needs to earn to cover their basic, day-to-day expenses and have a small cushion to participate in community life. The calculation is done regionally to reflect local costs (rent, food, transportation, childcare, utilities, communication, clothing, basic household needs, and a modest allowance for community participation.)

At RxCosmetics Aesthetic Clinic in Lindsay, owner Sarah Reynolds said that she has found a lot of benefits come with being in a position where she can pay her staff more than a liveable wage. The last thing she wants is her employees coming into work stressed.

“If your employees are stressed about putting food on the table for their kids, or if they can purchase a home and move forward with their lives, then that obviously is going to affect how they work within the team,” she said.

Reynolds has found that a lot of her employees end up staying because they feel stable in their work. “We want their work here at RxCosmetics to be a career,” she said. With the cost to train being high, paying employees a higher wage is beneficial for her company as well.

However, for many businesses the reality of being able to provide a living wage is easier said than done. “Providing a living wage continues to be challenging for many businesses—especially small and medium-sized ones—because it involves balancing ethical pay practices with financial sustainability,” said Terry Guiel, executive director of the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce.

Guiel pointed out how employees tend to spend money around the geographic area where they work, meaning a living wage is beneficial for the economy. “However, in many cases businesses employ many different tactics to survive the dance between a living wage and sustainable business model by delaying hiring, reducing hours, automation or taking on more and more tasks themselves.”

Some employers, like the Ross Memorial Hospital are in a position where they need to be able to provide higher living wages to ensure they’re employing the best staff possible.

Part of this comes from wages that have been legislated by the provincial government and union agreements. “Beyond these requirements, we recognize the importance of offering competitive wages to attract and retain the best talent, so we can continue providing high-quality care to our patients,” said Brenda Friar, interim director of human resources at RMH.

Friar finds that “we also have a responsibility to support our team members in earning enough to live comfortably within our community. By paying a fair and competitive wage, we support the well-being of our staff, strengthen our workforce, and reinforce our commitment to the patients and families we serve.”

With the cost of living continuing to rise, Guiel says that something needs to change. “We need to take the burden off of our businesses and put it on the federal and provincial levels of government to make energy, housing, transportation and food more affordable so living wages can become attainable to all.”

In a media release from the Ontario Living Wage Network, it notes the “problem of working poverty is complex, and is the product of issues of affordability, policy, cultural norms and attitudes about the value of work and more.”

“Yet the most expedient first step is to simply ensure that a day’s work can cover that day’s expenses.”