Whitehorse - The Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition is pleased to release “Living Wage in Whitehorse, Yukon: 2023” which calculates the hourly rate of pay for Whitehorse, Yukon that a household must earn while working full-time to ensure that its basic needs, including housing, food, and clothing are met.
The 8th annual calculation reports the highest amount on record and the largest annual increase in the living wage since it was first calculated in 2016.
The living wage for Whitehorse equaled $21.04 per hour in 2023, the highest amount on record. The living wage increased by $2.76 per hour from 2022. The increase to the living wage in 2023 compared to 2022 was the direct result of increases in the cost of basic needs including substantial increases in the cost of shelter, food, and transportation.
The high cost of rental housing remains the most significant affordability challenge for low- and modest- income Yukoners. The shelter expense accounted for 35.3% of the reference family’s pre-tax income in 2023, significantly higher than 30% affordability metric used by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
The rising cost of food also presented a significant affordability challenge for many Yukoners in 2023. The annual cost of food for the reference family increased by 13.9% in 2023 to $14,521.24. The sudden increase in food prices has made it considerably more difficult for low- and modest-income Yukoners to eat a nutritious diet and will likely contribute to higher rates of food insecurity and greater demand for services provided through the Food Bank Society of the Yukon.
Kendall Hammond, author of the report says: "The living wage goes up when government does not adequately address the housing crisis or provide sufficient supports to low- and modest-income Yukoners. The living wage goes down when government introduces good public policy such as universal low-fee childcare and the Canada Child Benefit. The Living wage will go up significantly in 2024 unless immediate action is taken to address the affordability crisis."