Living wage for Halifax rises to $28.30 as advocates call for more government support

People in Halifax are struggling to make ends meet as the city’s hourly wage needed to sustain a family rose 7 per cent in one year.

According to a report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), two adults supporting two children in Halifax need to both work 35 hours per week and get paid at least $28.30 to keep their heads above water.

This is one of the largest living wage increases, the report notes, over the last year compared to areas in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and other parts of Nova Scotia.

Researchers took a budget based on a family with two parents working full-time for 52 weeks out of the year including two paid weeks of vacation. 

The living wage is what people need to be able to afford basic necessities like food and shelter in the city. CCPA says it calculates the “crucial” number to help employers and governments pay workers adequately and to understand the depth of the issue.

Over the last several years, people across the province are struggling with increased housing costs and inflated food prices. This has led to a compounding issue of homelessness in Halifax and increasing food bank demand.

“Rent is now taking up almost 30 per cent of the living wage, that is the mark of whether you’re in affordable housing,” said CCPA’s Nova Scotia director Christine Saulnier. “This household is still in affordable housing, and this is the first time we’ve reached that threshold in the calculations.”

The provincial average living wages are close to the median hourly wage, which means close to 50 per cent of workers earn less than a living wage, the report notes.

“This is about at this point supporting not just low-wage workers, but middle-income workers,” Saulnier said.

Average living hourly wages needed for Newfoundland and Labrador are $25, in N.S. it is $26.53.

P.E.I. has the lowest average living wage needed with the report noting it is $22.76.

“Comparing these rates to this year’s required living wages paints a bleak picture,” the report reads. “This is not a problem touching a small percentage of our communities; it is systemic.”

According to the data, a family in Halifax spends about $7,627.76 per month. This includes expenses such as shelter ($2,522.73), child care ($1,255.50), food ($1,340.16) and clothing and footwear ($178.46).

“The situation in Halifax warrants special attention,” the report highlights. “Compared to last year, shelter costs in Halifax increased by 16 per cent to June 2024, pushing the entire budget up because shelter costs are now 33 per cent of the budget.”