Here’s the living wage for Squamish this year

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and Living Wage BC calculated how much a family of four needs to earn in 25 different communities to get by.

The Living Wage report for 2024 shows what a two-parent family needs to earn across 25 communities in B.C. Screenshot

Squamish’s living wage for 2024 is $26.76.

That’s according to new calculations from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, BC Office and Living Wage BC.

The living wage is meant to be what a two-parent family working full-time and renting a three-bedroom apartment needs to support a family of four—excluding costs like credit card bills, loans or savings for children’s education.

Squamish is sixth on the list of 25 communities for highest living wage, well behind Whistler, which tops the list at $28.09.

“The reason is housing costs,” said Anastasia French, Living Wage BC provincial manager.

It’s hard to come up with an accurate average cost of rent, but looking at census data and information from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the report used a shelter cost of $3,000, which is meant to include utilities, rent and tenant’s insurance, she said.

But it’s not all doom and gloom.

“I see some potential hope on the horizon for next year,” French said.

They’ve observed listing prices going down slightly as well as more units being constructed.

(The report lists the increase in living wage in Squamish from 2023 as 6.49%—the fourth highest increase on the list. But that’s due to changing the source for the cost of rent.)

In the meantime, though, the goal is to provide a wage employers can reference in various communities when setting a wage.

“It’s a high living wage, but the vast majority of living wage employers in B.C. are small businesses,” French added. “The reason for that is business owners know their staff. They want to make sure their staff isn’t struggling to pay for rent or food.”

There are more than 450 certified living wage employers across the province. But still, in Metro Vancouver (statistics aren’t available for Squamish), 37 % of of paid employees earn less than the living wage.

“Not surprisingly, we know systemic issues [exist] in society, women and racialized workers are more likely to earn less than a living wage,” French said.

Going forward, the goal is for the report to include more categories like the living wage needed for different family types.

A single parent, for example, would need to earn about $29 an hour in Squamish and a single person without kids $26.

“We’re hoping to do more work on that next year,” French said.