Living Wage

Toronto’s Game Changing Demolition Firm Designated As a Living Wage Employer 

We may tear down interiors, but we build up our people! 

Demo For Your Reno is proud to be a certified Living Wage Employer. 

What does that mean, exactly? This certification is our public declaration and dedication to paying wages that allow employees to support their families and thrive in their communities. 

The Ontario Living Wage is calculated based on the organization’s region and is rigorously updated by a governing body made up of employers, employees, non–profits, researchers, and work standards advocates. 

Our Etobicoke demolition business falls under Toronto, which has the highest living wage in Ontario due to the higher cost of living compared to other Ontario regions. 

What Does Demo For Your Reno Pay? 

Since our inception, DFYR has been steadfastly committed to ensuring safe and inclusive workplaces. This includes financial security for our workers. As an Ontario Living Wage Employer, we hold ourselves accountable to fairly compensating our people. This not only covers a base wage that is greater than the minimum wage, but also our employee benefits start accumulating on a team member’s start date. 

We must update our certification to reflect the location-based calculated wage whenever it may change. Toronto hourly Living Wages are region–dependent. 

Although our Toronto demolition company has always paid employees more than minimum wage (see the next section) earning this certification not only shows we have this important designation, but hopefully raises the standard for the demolition industry. 

Living Wage Vs. Minimum Wage 

Minimum wage, legislated by the provincial government, is the lowest hourly rate employers are allowed to pay. In contrast, the living wage is calculated based on what Ontario workers need to meet their expenses to lead a better quality of life for themselves and their families. 

Living wage is based on location-specific data for a family of four, comprising two working adults and two dependent children. It accounts for community-specific costs and metrics. Unlike the minimum wage, which is provincially legislated, living wage employers voluntarily pay this (typically higher than the minimum) rate and agree to maintain certification standards. 

Calculating the Living Wage 

The hourly pay is calculated based on a household of two adults working full time, with two dependent children. Rent, food, shelter, transportation, medical fees, and recreation are factored in, as well as enough for a modest (and deserved) vacation. The wage is also calculated based on the family life cycle, taking in future considerations of both younger and older household members. 

The Ontario Living Wage’s calculations do not take into account the following: saving for debt payments, home ownership, retirement, children’s education savings and anything outside of a small emergency expenses. 

Why Work For a Living Wage Employer in Demolition? 

The demo business is no stranger to high turnover rates. Demo For Your Reno has always been different. We understand that demolition may not be your dream job, but we are upfront with potential and current employees alike that we wish to provide long-term employment 

Our demolition company has provided a stable vocation to many, as well as a launchpad for career growth, which we continually aspire to foster. Many of our workers saw this as a temporary and interim way to earn while job-seeking elsewhere. However, they chose to stay when they saw the pros of working for DFYR. ( But you don’t have to take our word for it when we have employee testimonials to prove this!) 

What it means to be a Living Wage Employer 

Our decades of being in residential and commercial interior demolition have witnessed many economic ebbs and flows. Long before we became a certified LWE, we have championed the same values the Ontario Living Wage Network now upholds of fair wages and quality of life for all. 

The unfortunate reality is that job-seekers in today’s demolition job market feel they must take what they can get. Resulting in an increasing number of people working for undeservingly lower wages. 

The heartwrenching result is seeing workers facing hardship and isolation, not to mention difficult choices like putting food on the table or buying winter boots for their children. Low wages can put people into insurmountable debt and cause anxiety that leads to debilitating health problems over time. Here in the GTA, many adults work two or three jobs just to make rent. 

Demo For Your Remo believes employers who pay a living wage are acknowledging their humanity and responsibility to their people. DFYR has, and always will be, dedicated to helping raise up our employees as they raise families. We cultivate a respectful, diverse workplace that encourages pride of ownership. 

We wish to be demolition and construction industry leaders, bettering the lives of labourers and other wage–based workers in Ontario.

Check out this article about inflation and the importance of a living wage.