The living wage for Whitehorse is $22.72 per hour, the highest amount on record, it was revealed Thursday.

In contrast, in April, the territory’s minimum wage rose from $16.77 to $17.59 per hour.

On Thursday, the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition released a report entitled “Living Wage in Whitehorse, Yukon: 2024”.

Each year, the coalition calculates the living wage for Whitehorse to maintain a current and accurate measurement of the cost of living in the capital.

The living wage is equal to the hourly rate of pay a household must earn while working full-time to ensure that its members’ basic needs, including housing, food, and clothing, are met.

This is the ninth annual calculation for Whitehorse. The living wage rose by $1.68 per hour from 2023.

“The significant increase in the living wage over the past two years emphasizes the rapidly worsening affordability crisis, especially around housing,” the coalition said.

“The findings of this year’s living wage calculation highlight the urgent need for action to improve affordability in Whitehorse and throughout the territory,” said Kendal Hammond, the Victoria-based author of the report.

“Recent investments in universal child care have significantly helped families with children and demonstrated how good public policy can help improve affordability.

“Now, significant investments are needed to address the housing crisis, the single-most important affordability challenge facing Yukoners.”

The reference family used in the research incurred a record-high shelter expense of $29,399.74 in 2024, up from $27,022.82 in 2023.

The shelter expense accounted for 35.6 per cent of the reference family’s pretax income. This is significantly higher than the 30-per-cent affordability metric used by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp.

The rising cost of food also continued to present a major affordability challenge for many Yukoners in 2024.

The annual cost of food for the reference family rose sharply by 4.7 per cent in 2024 to $15,205.84. This followed the 13.9-per-cent increase that occurred in 2023. 

The coalition is finalizing the living wage calculation for a single person, which will reflect the significantly higher wage needed for someone living on their own.

“Living wage calculations are an effective way to measure the cost of living in a community in a way that directly integrates the role of public policy, including the provision of social services and the tax-and-transfer system,” the coalition said.

“The living wage goes up when government does not adequately address the housing crisis or provide sufficient supports to low- and modest-income Yukoners.

“The living wage goes down when government introduces good public policy such as universal low-fee child care, the Canada Child Benefit and the Yukon Dental Benefit.”

A barbecue will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 18 at the coalition’s building at 509 Hanson St. “to get community recommendations on ways to take meaningful action to address the affordability challenges facing Yukoners,” the coalition said.

Asked about the latest living wage calculation by The Yukon Star, cabinet communications staff said in a statement, “Our Liberal government values the critical insights provided by organizations like the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition and recognizes the living wage as an important metric for understanding the challenges faced by Yukoners.

“Information like this helps inform our government’s work. We have worked hard to implement and enhance initiatives that make life more affordable for Yukoners.”

Those steps include investing in accessible housing developments across the territory, and supporting health and social services, the statement said.

It also cited such programs as the universal child care program and the Canada-Yukon Housing benefit, the Yukon Seniors’ Income Supplement, the Yukon-wide dental program, and extensions to the Electrical Rebate and Temporary Paid Sick Leave Program.