Living in the middle of the current pandemic is hard. Many had been laid off from work and struggled for the past months. Some are lucky to have been back at work since restrictions have been gradually lifted. But the question still lies: Can you earn enough to stay on your feet? Or are you struggling to earn a Canadian living wage.
It is important for Canadians to earn a salary that can cover their monthly expenses and have something more for savings and emergencies. That being said, what does it mean to have a Canadian Living Wage? Is it even possible to attain at such a difficult time like this?
What is a Canadian Living Wage?
The Canadian living wage does not mean the minimum legal amount which employees received from their work. A living wage means that the salary being paid to the worker is enough for him/her to maintain a decent living within the community he/she lives in. It should be adequate enough to provide the basic needs of his/her family.
Thus, the Canadian living wage helps families to earn enough to put food on the table while lifting them out from poverty. Moreover, it should provide the family with a sense of security even during an economic downturn like what is happening in our city right now.
What Does a Canadian Living Wage in House Cleaning Mean?
Earning a Canadian living wage for a household is of utmost importance. It signifies how the family can live and afford their basic needs as well as other necessities. It is common knowledge that cleaners do not earn a lot. They are working on an hourly basis and depending on the availability of bookings. Hence, most cleaners do not earn enough to feed the family. Unfortunately, there are many cases in Calgary where cleaners need to have several side jobs just to ensure that they can pay their bills and utilities on top of their necessities.
In Alberta, a living wage is between $17 to $18 per hour depending on where you live. While many cleaning companies are offering the minimum wage at C$15.27/hr. We at Home Spritz provide a higher rate to ensure that our cleaners get the salary they deserve.
Working Together to Stop Poverty in Alberta
The Vibrant Communities Calgary (VCC), a non-profit organization seeking to end poverty in the city, promotes Enough For All. Enough For All is Calgary’s community-driven poverty reduction strategy where everyone can come together to help fight and stop poverty. According to the Enough For All website, there are around 104,000 Calgarians who are living in poverty!
That being said, we believe that once these Albertas are given proper work and earn Canadian living wage, it’ll be enough to slowly help them get out of their difficult financial situations. All we have to do is to come together and push forward to ensure that necessary steps are taken to help the destitute members of our community.
Along with companies like ours that provide Canadian living wages to our employees, different charities and networks are also working with VCC to make a difference. Since 2015, a huge impact on the community has been made like the 50% reduction in child poverty and the 3,000+ RESPs created for the young members of our city.
We are looking forward to helping achieve Enough For All’s Goal that “all Calgarians live in a strong, supportive and inclusive community.” The reduction of poverty is very critical in a time like this. We need not only recover from the health horrors brought by the pandemic, but must also recover economically and financially. As one of the Champions of Change, Home Spritz is one in realizing the issues that our city is facing right now. Thus, we are doing our utmost best to help reduce – and ultimately – eliminate the impoverished lives of the many Calgarians we are looking forward to helping.
How Home Spritz Supports a Canadian Living Wage
Home Spritz believes that to fight poverty, we should work together to uplift everyone. It is not the struggle or fight of our cleaners alone. But rather we, as employers, should take part in helping them live a decent life.
As we envision providing a substantial income to our cleaners, Home Spritz has become a living wage provider and is Champion for Change signing up for a pledge to protect those in the communities where we earn our income. We pay at $18/hour and above.
After all, our cleaners work for us in order to earn a living. With their hard work and perseverance, we are able to keep up our clients’ satisfaction through the amazing service and cleaning prowess that each of our cleaners provides. Thus, Home Spritz wants to return the favour by also helping them achieve their dreams and goals as we move forward together in helping our economy kick-off from this pandemic.
Looking for a socially responsible cleaner? Book with us today.