Rising rent and food costs driving significant increase in Nova Scotia's living wage

A report published Thursday says the rising costs of shelter and food in Nova Scotia have contributed to a large jump over the last year in what's considered a living wage in the province.

A report published Thursday says the rising costs of shelter and food in Nova Scotia have contributed to a large jump over the last year in what's considered a living wage in the province.

The annual report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Nova Scotia says the living wage rates for 2023 range from a low of $22.85 per hour for Cape Breton residents to a high of $26.50 in Halifax. Last year, the rates stood at $20 per hour in Cape Breton and $23.50 in Halifax.

Report author Christine Saulnier said the year-over-year increases in five regions of the province averaged 14 per cent, which are the "most significant" increases since the centre began calculating the living wage in 2015.

"The reason we're seeing such significant increases is because those cost of living pressures are not being offset by increases in government transfers (tax credits) or changes on the cost side that would see some kind of decrease," Saulnier said in an interview.

Living wages that reflect costs as of June of this year were listed as: $25.40 per hour for the Annapolis Valley; $25.05 for southern Nova Scotia; and $24.30 for the northern part of the province's mainland. According to the centre, the living wage reflects how much a household with two full-time workers must earn to cover all of their necessities and enjoy a decent quality of life.

Large factors contributing to this year's increase were shelter costs, which saw average increases of 18 per cent across the province, and food costs that increased by 11 per cent in every region.

"For the most part, because rent and food are such significant parts of the budget, any major increases there will see a major increase to the living wage," said Saulnier.