Moncton — The New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity applauds the $9.2 million investment in services to address gender-based violence. This funding marks meaningful progress toward strengthening service quality and accessibility by investing in fair compensation, administrative support, and the retention of frontline staff.
The workforce, made up almost entirely of women, is among the lowest paid in the community care sector, despite the complexity and importance of their work. According to pay equity evaluations conducted by the Coalition in 2020–2021, an equitable wage for crisis intervenors should now reach $30.26/hour, yet some are still earning less than $20/hour due to the lack of a guaranteed minimum.[1]
“This is excellent news. We’ve been calling for stable, adequate funding for years so these services can offer fair wages. Too often, organizations have had to fundraise just to cover wages due to a lack of core funding.
The government has committed to extending pay equity to the private and care sectors, and these services must be included. We expect this investment in wages to lead to pay equity,” says Johanne Perron, Executive Director of the New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity. “Every dollar should bring these women closer to the equitable wages they deserve.”
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[1] NB Coalition for Pay Equity. (2020). The Value of Care: Pay equity maintenance in home care, transition houses, and community residences.