As Calgary’s largest and longest serving women’s organization, we are focused each day on our vision of “women thriving in a safe and equitable community.”
Through our front line work providing emergency shelter, housing, counseling and education as well as our advocacy efforts, we are committed to ending poverty in our community.
And, as a large, non-profit employer, we know that work can and does start with our own team.
The YWCA of Calgary has been a living wage leader since 2011 and, at this time that means each member of our team of more than 300 earns at least $16.14 an hour, plus benefits ($17.29 for those not receiving benefits).
Our living wage commitment is core to our values and reflects our view that an adequate income is critical for women to live with dignity and maintain their wellness.
Further, as an organization which works each day with women who are vulnerable, we know this policy can and will have an immediate, positive impact.
Poverty and low incomes often trap women in circumstances that are unsafe and in which they have few options.
Since 62 per cent of minimum wage earners in Alberta are female and nearly half of those on minimum wage are over age 25, there is no doubt, this is a women’s issue.
In particular we are glad to see a step towards the elimination of the lower-tiered minimum wage for liquor servers, a policy we know disproportionally affected women.
We applaud this decision by government to increase minimum wage in a balanced and timely way and believe this is an important step towards meaningfully addressing poverty.
This is a good day for women in Alberta and a good day for their families.
Minimum wage in Alberta will increase by $1 to $11.20 on October 1, 2015. Minimum wage for liquor servers will rise $1.50 to $10.70.
