February 2019 Board Meeting - Living Wage 2019 Information Report

Prepared By:

Karen Bellemore, Public Health Nutritionist
Jennifer Johnston, Health Promotion Specialist, SDOH

Date:

February 28, 2019

Subject:

Living Wage 2019, Windsor-Essex County Living Wage Program

Background

Income inequality has been recognized as one of the most significant social determinants contributing to poorer population health outcomes. As such, many communities across Ontario, nationally, and internationally have implemented living wage programs aimed to raise awareness, encourage adoption, and advance healthy public policy. In 2017, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) agreed to take over the administration of the local living wage program from Pathway to Potential; Windsor and Essex County’s Social Investment Plan. The program re-launched in March 2018, and as of December 2018 there are 19 Certified Living Wage Employers locally.

The living wage program aims to promote social conditions that influence improvements in population health and quality of life.  This aim is aligned with the objectives outlined in the Ontario Public Health Standards (2018), as well as the vision, mission, values, and strategic priorities of the WECHU (2017-2021).

Currently the Living Wage program is administered through WECHU’s Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention department. The Living Wage program is included as part of the Working Toward Wellness (WTW) initiative and is imbedded as part of the Gord Smith Healthy at Work Awards.

Current Inititives

The 2019 Living Wage calculated for Windsor and Essex County is $15.15/hour for full and part time employees that do not receive health benefits from their employer. This represents a 0.34 cent per hour increase over the 2018 Living Wage. The 2019 Living Wage for full and part time employees who do receive health benefits from their employer remains at $14.00/hour, the current provincial minimum wage. 

The purpose of the Living Wage program is to raise awareness about the true cost of living in Windsor and Essex County, and to advance policies, partnerships, and practices that promote health and well-being for our community.

Objectives:

• To increase community awareness of the purpose and importance of paying a living.
• To increase the number of employers who become Certified Living Wage Employers through active recruitment and formal acknowledgement.
• To contribute to individuals’ ability to reach their health and well-being goals in the face of rising costs of living by promoting and encouraging Windsor-Essex employers to pay their employees a Living Wage on an ongoing basis.

Key Program Deliverables:

Each year the living wage calculation is updated and shared with the community. See the appendix A, 2019 Living Wage Calculation Summary Report.

The living wage certification program includes:

• Promotion and recruitment activities;
• An online intake and enrollment process;
• Verification that applicants meet program eligibility criteria;
• Support for employer implementation;
• An employer Living Wage Certification package;
• Program evaluation and reporting activities to support quality improvement; and,
• Recognition at the annual Gord Smith Healthy Workplace and Bike Friendly Awards.

This year the WECHU, along with a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will explore strategies to increase knowledge and uptake of the living wage program among community employers.

Key Calculation Changes for 2019:

In order to better support local communities in the Living Wage Calculation process, the Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN) reviewed and updated the living wage calculation methodology in 2018.  This change allows local communities to spend less time calculating the living wage and helps standardize calculations throughout the province. See Appendix B “Amendments to the 2018 Ontario Living Wage Calculation Methodology” for the calculation change rationale. 

Some highlights include:

• The OLWN recognized that there are items that must be sourced at a local level (e.g., food, shelter, childcare, public transportation).  However, there are items that make up a small portion of family expenses (e.g., clothing and footwear, car ownership, household supplies, minimal recreation) that are no longer sourced locally.  This allows for greater consistency across the province.
• A 35-hour workweek is used to determine the living wage.  In previous calculations, a 37.5-hour workweek was used; however, data from Statistics Canada indicated that the most common number of hours worked per week in Ontario is 35.
• Utilizing a weighted average for rural/urban transportation.  Transportation requirements in an urban setting with a transit system are very different then that of rural communities. Therefore, a weighted average based on population is used to calculate transportation costs for the whole community.  The assumption is that the urban family would have one vehicle and one adult accessing public transportation, whereas the rural family would have two vehicles.    

Appendices

• Appendix A – 2019 Living Wage Calculation Summary Report
• Appendix B – Ontario Living Wage Network – Amendments to the 2018 Ontario Living Wage Calculation Methodology
• Appendix C – 2018 Living Wage Evaluation Report

Consultation:

In the winter of 2017 a number of key stakeholders in the community, representing diverse sectors were invited to join the Windsor-Essex County Living Wage Program Community Advisory Committee (CAC). Members of the CAC serve in a consultative capacity, providing recommendations and advice to the WECHU Living Wage program team.  The CAC first convened on February 27th, 2018. A second CAC meeting was held on December 11th, 2018. At that meeting, the WECHU team delivered a presentation outlining the 2019 Living Wage calculation and relevant changes. They also shared the 2018 Living Wage evaluation report.  The plan for promoting and recruiting Living Wage employers for 2019 was discussed.  Group feedback and discussion resulted in valuable input and advice that in most cases were incorporated into the 2019 plan.

Community Advisory Committee Membership:

• Judy Lund, representative, Working Toward Wellness Committee
• Michelle Suchiu, Executive Director, Workforce Windsor-Essex
• Stephen Lynn, Coordinator of Social Planning, City of Windsor
• Jelena Payne, Commissioner of Community Development and Health, City of Windsor
• Luciano Carlone, Director of Finance and Corporate Services, Canadian Mental Health Association - Windsor-Essex County Branch
• Lorraine Goddard, CEO, United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County
• Robert Ross, Co-Chair, Windsor-Essex Food Policy Council
• Greg Schlosser, Director, Human Resources, County of Essex

The following individuals contributed to this report:

• Nicole Dupuis, Director of Health Promotion
• Kristy McBeth, Director of Health Protection
• Neil Mackenzie, Manager, Chronic Disease & Injury Prevention
• Ramsey D’Souza, Manager, Epidemiology and Evaluation
• Saamir Pasha, Epidemiologist
• Marc Frey, Manager, Planning and Strategic Initiatives

Approved by:

Theresa Marentette, CEO

Appendix A – Calculating a Living Wage for Windsor and Essex County 2019

Background

A living wage is the minimum amount a person must earn to afford to live and participate in a specific community. It is not the same as the minimum wage, which is the lowest rate an employer can legally pay for work performed. The living wage takes into consideration basic level of economic security and quality of life for most two-parent families (but it is designed to support most other types of households as well) within a given community context, meaning it is different for each community. Receiving a living wage affords individuals and families increased opportunity to live with dignity and participate as active citizens in our society.

Calculating the Living Wage for Windsor-Essex County

How is the Living Wage Calculated?

The living wage is based on the Canadian Living Wage Framework and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Ontario Family Expense Workbook. Use of these tools helps keep calculations consistent and comparable across Canada. To determine the living wage for Windsor and Essex County, the following reference household scenario is used:

A healthy family of four:

• Two adults, both age 35 and both working full time (35 hours per week).
• One child age 3; requires 251 days of full-day childcare.
• One child age 7; requires 50 days of full-day childcare in the summer and 187 days of before-and-after-school care.

The living wage is calculated based on how much a family spends on necessities (annual family expenses), plus how much they pay towards taxes and premiums (employment insurance and pension plan), minus eligible tax credits and other subsidies (government transfers). The living wage is traditionally calculated every year.

What does the Living Wage Calculation include and what it does not include.

The data used in the calculation comes from a variety of local, provincial, and national sources. Where feasible, the living wage calculation prioritizes the use of the most recent local data to determine the cost of living within our community. The data sources used for this calculation include:

• Government of Canada
• Government of Ontario
• Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
• Market Basket Measure
• Statistics Canada’s Survey of Household Spending (SHS)
• Windsor-Essex County Nutritious Food Basket
• Local quotes of goods and service providers

Summary of the 2019 Windsor-Essex Living Wage Calculation

The following tables provide a breakdown of the estimates and explanations of annual family expenses, premiums and taxes, and government transfers. It is anticipated that knowledge of this living wage calculation can inform public policy debate in areas such as affordable housing, transportation, and education.

Table 1. Family expenses for a reference household in Windsor-Essex County

Annual Family Expenses	Annual Cost ($)	Monthly Cost ($)	Explanation/Assumptions
Food	8,193	683	Cost for a family of four to eat healthy according to the Nutritious Food Basket costing tool for Windsor-Essex County.
Rent	12,720	1,060	Local cost to rent a 3 bedroom and 1 bathroom apartment according to the CMHC.
Clothing and footwear	3,201	267	Cost for clothes and footwear for all members of the family including cloth diapers for children under 4 years. These estimates were calculated for 2016 and were adjusted to the current using CPI data
Shelter utilities	1,312	109	Local expense for hydro costs from Ontario Energy Board: Average electricity usage of 750 kWh.
Tenant insurance	228	19	Least expensive local quote for insurance on 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment: $35,000 property value; $1,000 deductible; $100,000 personal liability.
Communications	1,409	117	Least expensive locally for basic services: Two smartphone plans (new basic phone, unlimited texting, no data, 2-year plan). Basic internet plan (6-15 mbps download, 70-150 GB bandwidth) and cost of modem. Netflix subscription.
Extended health plan	3,234	270	Blue Cross Balance Plan for an extended health plan that includes basic coverage of dental, prescription drugs, optometry and other health practitioner expenses.
Transportation	10,240	853	Cost for families to own and operate a vehicle using a weighted average to accommodate transportation cost differences between urban and rural settings.
Parent education	1,870	156	Cost of part-time tuition for two courses from the University of Windsor Average cost of courses in four different programs (Arts, Science, Engineering, Psychology/ Anthropology/Sociology). Textbooks and other fees.
Childcare (before subsidy)	14,203	1,184	Average licensed child care costs (3 quotes) for: 3-year-old attending 251 full days. 7-year-old attending 50 full days and 187 days of before-and-after-school care.
Other	8,591	716	Toiletries and personal care, furniture, household supplies, laundry, school supplies and fees, bank fees, some reading materials, minimal recreation and entertainment, family outings (e.g., museums and cultural events), birthday presents, modest family vacation and some sports and/or arts classes for the children.*
Contingency for emergencies	2,608	218	+4.0% of total expenses (excluding savings).
TOTAL	67,809	5,633	Sum of annual expenses | monthly family expenses

Note: Values rounded to the nearest whole dollar.

* Statistics Canada Market Basket Measure (MBM) calculates ‘Other’ expense at 75.4% of the combined expense for ‘Food’ & ‘Clothing and footwear’

Table 2. Premiums and taxes for a reference household in Windsor-Essex County

Premiums and Taxes	Annual Cost ($)	Explanation/Assumptions
Federal tax after credits	2,568	Determined through income tax form.
Provincial tax after credits	833	Determined through income tax form.
Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions	3,299	Determined based on income and CPP rate for current year.
Employment Insurance (EI) contributions		Determined based on income and EI rate for current year.
TOTAL	6,700	Sum of premiums and taxes

Note: Values rounded to the nearest whole dollar.

Table 3. Eligible government transfers for a reference household in Windsor-Essex County

Government Transfers	Annual Gains ($)	Explanation/Assumptions
Canada Child Benefit	9,250	The Canada Child Benefit (CCB) is a tax-free monthly payment made to eligible families to help them with the cost of raising children under 18 years of age. Benefit payments are recalculated every year based on information from your income tax and benefit return from the previous year.
Ontario Child Benefit	467	The Ontario Child Benefit (OCB) is a provincial program that provides financial assistance to families living on low income raising children. Payments are issued monthly to eligible families along with their Canada Child Benefit. Eligibility is based on the number of children under 18 in your household and the family net income as reported on your income tax return. A family with 2 children must have a net income of $30,000 or less to qualify for this benefit.
Windsor-Essex Childcare Subsidy	9,007	The childcare subsidy is a municipal program offering financial assistance to qualifying families in Windsor-Essex. This subsidy helps eligible families with the cost of licensed childcare for children up to the age of 12. The amount of financial relief that a family qualifies for is based on their net family income. Determined using childcare subsidy benefits calculator.
GST/HST Credit	182	A quarterly tax credit provided to eligible individuals and families living on low and modest incomes to help offset all or part of the GST or HST that they pay. You no longer have to apply for the GST/HST credit. The Canada Revenue Agency automatically determines eligibility when you file your next income tax and benefit return. Credit is issued to qualifying individuals every 3 months by cash payments.
Ontario Trillium Benefit	446	The Ontario Trillium Benefit (OTB) is a tax credit made available to eligible  low-to moderate-income Ontario residents to help pay for energy costs, sales and property tax.
TOTAL	19,352	Sum of government transfers

Note: Values rounded to the nearest whole dollar.

The calculation for the 2019 living wage is summarized below.

2018 Living Wage	Value ($)
Annual Family Expenses	67,800
Premiums and Taxes	6,700
Government Transfers	19,352
Annual household income	55,158
Annual salary per earner	27,579
Hourly wage per earner – job does not include health benefits	15.15
Hourly wage per earner – job includes health benefits	14.00

• $15.15 per hour for workers whose employers do not provide health benefits.
• $14.00 per hour for workers whose employers do provide health benefits.

The total household expenses increased to $67,800 in 2019 from $66,374 in 2018 for the Living Wage calculation. The differences in household expenses between the current and previous year were associated with changes in the sources of expense costs and calculation methodology. Of significance, communities whose public policy provide greater income and service support such as an affordable transit passes, rent supplements, childcare subsidies and/or subsidized recreation programs will facilitate a lower living wage.

Amendments to the 2019 Calculations

1. Assuming a 35-hour workweek – In previous calculations across Ontario, a standard workweek was assumed to be 37.5 hours. Given data from Statistics Canada and to better align with other provinces’ living calculation methodologies, Ontario living wage calculations now assume a 35-hour workweek.
2. Weighted Average for Rural/Urban Transportation – The requirements for transportation in an urban setting compared to a rural community is very different. To reflect the actual costs of these differences a weighted average for transportation was used. Urban communities use the cost of one car and one adult transit pass whereas rural communities require both parents to have a vehicle to get to and from work. Calculating transportation expenses applied an online CAA tool to estimate car ownership and maintenance costs instead of relying on local estimates (e.g., oil changes, maintenance, fuel) or the Market Basket Measure. This source provided a more realistic and consistent cost of transportation in rural communities.
3. Childcare – The number of required childcare days do not consider the 2-week family vacation or Professional Development days during the school year. To account for these additional days, the full day childcare has changed from 260 days of required care to 251. The before and after care requirement has been adjusted from 195 to 187 while the day camp requirement has been updated to 50 days from 65.
4. Other Expenses - The 2019 Living Wage Calculator workbook included costs of clothing and footwear to permit consistency across all communities in the Living Wage Network. In addition, the cost of other expenses (e.g., toiletries, furniture, recreation) was defined as 75.4% of the combined expense for food, clothing and footwear (Statistics Canada.  Table 11-10-0223-01).
5. Government Transfers - The amount of government transfers changed due to the inclusion of GST/HST credit and the Ontario Trillium Benefit. Further, the Childcare subsidy now assesses eligibility based on families previous year’s net income and not total income.

Appendix B - Amendments to the 2018 Ontario Living Wage Calculation Methodology

In 2018 the Ontario Living Wage Network reviewed and updated the methodology for calculating the living wage in Ontario. At a network meeting in February of 2018 it was decided that the calculation process should be streamlined so that local communities will spend less time calculating the living wage and have more time to engage with employers and advocate for decent work.

The following principles were outlined at the meeting:

1. A living wage need to come in above $15 an hour to be a credible indicator of a wage that allows one to both meet basic needs and participate in community.
   1. The living wage is based on the principle that if you work full-time, full-year you should earn enough to make ends meet and participate in your community.
   2. The campaign for a $15 minimum was based on the contention that if you work full-time, full-year you should earn enough to be above the poverty line (make ends meet). In technical terms, that means a minimum wage should get you 10% above the Provincial poverty line; which is the low-income measure. That was part of the justification for the target of $15 an hour as it was shown that if someone worked 35 hours a week, full-year at $15 an hour, they would earn about 10% above the before tax low income measure.
2. Living wage rate provides a modest income. The living wage represents the base wage for the lowest paid worker in an organization.
3. Local communities are looking for calculations that can help in policy advocacy, whether at the provincial, national or local level. The following items are considered to be important to be based on local costs:
   • Housing
   • Food
   • Transportation
   • Hydro
   • Health insurance
   • Child care (and local summer recreation/child care programs)
4. There are other expenses that are not as influenced by public policy and/or for which there is not easily accessible local data:
   • Clothing and Footwear
   • Household items and furniture
   • 2 week family vacation
   • Monthly family dinner and movie out
   • Personal care
   • Recreation
   • Reading and entertainment supplies
   • Laundry
   • Life and disability insurance
5. It was decided that living wage rates for communities across Ontario should be released at the same time to help create consistency in data collection across the province.

Update of the Tax and Transfer Calculator

The new living wage calculation methodology was tested and provided good results when the 2017 Tax and Transfer Calculator was used to calculate living wage rates. The update for 2018 was completed by Iglika Ivanova from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives in British Columbia. In the review and update process a few issues were found in previous versions of the calculator tool.

In previous versions of the Tax and Transfer Calculator the child care subsidy uses the total employment income as the basis for assessing eligibility. In actuality, the previous year’s net income is used to assess eligibility and this change has been made in the 2018 version of the calculator.

In addition, the medical expense tax credit was set to use the Critical Illness expense instead of the non-OHIP medical expense. As the Critical Illness is much lower this resulted in a difference in both federal and provincial taxes owing. In addition, the 2017 version of the calculator assigned the medical expense tax credit to the higher income parent but the value is a lot higher when the credit is assigned to the lower income parent.

Listed below are additional, less significant amendments to the Tax and Transfer Calculator:

• Added option of eligibility for Northern Ontario Energy Credit
• Added Trillium benefit to refundable tax credits
• Changed the treatment of the GST/HST credit so that it’s counted as a refundable tax credit (instead of being subtracted from federal tax owing)
• Removed public transit and tuition tax credits that ended in 2017 tax year
• Update CPI and EI to 2018 rates
• Split the tuition amount between the two parents

These issues have been resolved in the 2018 version of the calculator. These changes in the calculator resulted in significantly lower living wage rates. 

Updated Methodology for Calculating a Living Wage in Ontario

The principals of a community living wage calculation as laid out in the Canadian Living Wage Framework by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives remain the same. As do the items listed in the basic living wage calculation formula. However, some of the items that amount to a small portion of the family expenses are no longer sourced locally. These changes have been made to create greater consistency in living wage calculations across the province and to provide local community organizers with the opportunity to spend less time sourcing information for a calculation and more time advocating for a living wage, decent work and good public policy.

The following items continue to be sourced at the local level:

• Shelter
• Food
• Childcare
• Public transportation
• Communications
• Non-OHIP Health Insurance – Through the calculation process it has become clear that the Blue Cross Balance Plan is standard across the province.

The following items are already sourced for communities:

• Originally the cost of car ownership for the 2018 calculation was sourced through the Market Basket Measure for rural communities in ON (which represents the costs of owning and operating a second-hand car), adjusted by the CPI to 2017 prices. This cost is much lower than what was calculated through the old methodology where communities were asked to source oil changes, maintenance, gas, etc. Changes to the methodology need to be easily explained by local communities doing the living wage calculation. If an expense rises or falls drastically a reasonable explanation should be provided. After calculating the expense for the car using the old methodology for 2018 and feedback from rural communities, it has been determined that the MBM number does not accurately reflect the costs of car ownership. We will now be using an online tool provided by CAA to determine the expense of owning and operating a vehicle in Ontario. The number provided is much closer to that in the 2017 methodology. More information on how the CAA calculates the cost of car ownership and why this source was chosen will be available in the OLWN Report on Calculating the Living Wage in Ontario. A reference to this new source has been included in the Calculation Resource Folder. The MBM reference was from a different source year so CPI numbers have been changed in the workbooks so as not to alter the current cost of car ownership.
• Cost of clothing and footwear are obtained from the Survey of Household Spending (SHS) (2016), Table: 11-10-0223-01 (formerly CANSIM Table 203-0022), 3rd Quintile. The estimates from the SHS are from 2016 and have been adjusted for inflation, using CPI data from Table: 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM Table 326-0021).
• The Statistics Canada Market Basket Measure (MBM) calculates the Other expense at 75.4% of the combined expense for Food and Clothing and Footwear. This amount is intended to cover toiletries and personal care, furniture, household supplies, laundry, school supplies and fees, bank fees, some reading materials, minimal recreation and entertainment, family outings (for example to museums and cultural events), birthday presents, modest family vacation and some sports and/or arts classes for the children. This approach is used for calculating the living wage in British Columbia by Living Wage for Families.

Amendments to address the low living wage rates due to updated 2018 calculator:

Our goal is to have accurate living wage rates across the province. However, we know that at least $15 an hour is required to lift an individual 10% above the Low-Income Measure in Canada. As the Living Wage is a ‘participation wage’ meant to provide more than just the basics, it stands that living wage rates should not be lower than $15 per hour. In addition, the living wage is a tool for employers. We need to provide living wage rates that accurately reflect the cost of living in a community and any changes are reasonable and can be clearly explained to employers. As tested rates with the updated 2018 calculator came in significantly lower, the following additional adjustments have been made to the methodology.

1. Move to 35-hour work week. In previous Ontario calculations a 37.5 hour work week has been used to determine the living wage. Living Wage for Families in British Columbia and Fight for $15 and Fairness both use a 35-hour workweek. Data from Statistics Canada indicates that the most common numbers of hours worked per week in Ontario is 35. For these reasons in the 2018 calculation of the living wage in Ontario, we have made the change to a 35-hour workweek.
2. Weighted Average for Rural/Urban Transportation. It is apparent that the transportation requirements in an urban setting with a transit system are very different then that of rural communities. In an attempt to highlight this difference and reflect the actual costs of residence in a community a weighted average for transportation is highly suggested. Urban communities use the cost of one car and one adult transit pass. In rural areas, both parents will require a vehicle to get to and from work. The use of public transit by one adult in the family where available reflects the idea that a living wage is still a modest wage. If this concern affects your community, you will find the calculation outlined in the Community Specific Amendments and Questions section below.

Using the 35-hour workweek and a weighted average for rural vs urban transportation has helped to raise the low living wage rates provided in the 2018 calculator to rates similar to those of our original test calculations. 

Workbook and Data Source Amendments:

The following changes will be made to each community workbook and have been noted for amendment to the workbook for the future.

1. CPI number for food. In the food worksheet, the number listed in the column labeled CPI Source Year is the CPI rate for 2016. The number listed in the column labeled Current CPI is the CPI rate for 2017. Unless otherwise noted, communities have access to the Nutritious Food Basket numbers from 2017. The CPI Source Year numbers have been changed to the 2017 amount so that both are equal and reflect no change of the food expense entered in the workbook.
2. Childcare. The numbers provided in the workbook for the number of required childcare days do not consider the 2-week family vacation or Professional Development days during the school year. In order to account for these additional days the full day childcare is changed from 260 days of required care to 251. The before and after care requirement has been changed from 195 to 187. And the day camp requirement has changed from 65 to 50. For more info on where these numbers come will be provided in the OLWN Report on Calculating the Living Wage in Ontario. As the worksheet for childcare is currently locked, you can find the calculations for childcare in the section below titled Community Specific Amendments and Questions. The total number for childcare has been entered on the Main worksheet of your workbook.

Appendix C – 2018 Living Wage Evaluation Report

The Windsor and Essex County Living Wage Program was adapted from the previous Pathway to Potential Living Wage Program, and is aligned with many of the key principles from the provincial and national living wage programs. The purpose of the program is to raise awareness about the true cost of living in Windsor and Essex County, and to advance policies, partnerships, and practices that promote health and wellbeing for our community.

The program re-launched in March 2018 and as of December 2018, we have 19 Certified Living Wage Employers. Of those 19 certified employers, there are nine different employment sectors represented including construction, energy, government, healthcare, manufacturing, non-profit, professional services, finance/banking and workforce development. When asked why organizations were supportive of the living wage program, the top five reasons were employee morale, employee retention, employee recruitment, aligns with organizational values and employee loyalty. 

The Living Wage program was also intergraded into the Gord Smith Healthy Workplace and Bike Friendly Awards program.  Twelve of the nineteen certified workplaces, applied for a Gord Smith award.  Eight of those workplaces were able to receive the diamond or platinum level award because of the living wage certification.  The other four workplaces certified Living Wage did not require it for their award level.

Under the Pathway to Potential Living Wage program, there were 43 certified Living Wage Employers.  With the help of WorkForce WindsorEssex, all of these previous employers were contacted to encourage them to sign-up for the new program.  At present, six of these employers have re-certified with the new program. This represents a favourable opportunity, for further engagement with past Living Wage Employers.

Application Statistics

• Current number of Certified Living Wage Employers – 19
• Total number of applications in 2018 - 20
• Which sector best describes your organization?

• Sectors not yet represented:
  • Agriculture
  • Charity
  • Creative Industry
  • Education
  • Tourism & Hospitality
• Has your organization been certified as a Windsor-Essex County Living Wage employer in the past?
  • Yes – 6 (30%)
  • No – 14 (70%)
• Please tell us why your organization is supportive of paying a living wage:
  • Employee morale – 18 (90%)
  • Employee retention – 18 (90%)
  • Employee recruitment – 17 (85%)
  • Aligns with organizational values – 17 (85%)
  • Employee loyalty – 16 (80%)
  • Employee heath – 14 (70%)
  • Positive brand association – 13 (65%)
  • Workplace productivity – 12 (60%)
  • Workplace profitability – 6 (30%)
  • Other – 2 (10%)
    • Unionized facility
    • Multiple collective bargaining units
• Living Wage and the Gord Smith Awards
  • 5 did not receive Gord Smith Awards
  • 8 needed the LW to receive their Gord Smith Diamond or Platinum level
  • 4 received LW and GS, but the LW was not required for the GS level they received
• Therefore, 12 organizations received both LW and GS awards this year.

Living Wage Website Statistics:

Website data: from January 1, 2018 – December 3, 2018.

Visits	Page Views	Interactions	Clicks	Page Scrolls	Unique Visitors	Returning Visitors
616	835	3,107	397	2,710	548	26

• Visits: A visit is defined as a series of page requests from the same uniquely identified visitor with a time of no more than 30 minutes between each page request.
• Page views: A page view is a count of how many times a page has been viewed on a website or the chosen group within the chosen period of time. All page views are counted no matter how many times a user has visited the website in the chosen period of time.
• Interactions: Number of times users clicked on or scrolled up/down this page during the selected time period.

Hot spots on the main page include:

• Benefits of a Living Wage
• Employer Directory
• Apply Now
• Read the Report (summary report)

Total Downloads:

• Infographic – 101
• Promotional Flyer – 95

Living Wage resources page saw <0.1% of the total page views