Anyone in Canada in 1979-1982 time frame?
 

Anyone here in Canada in 79-82 time frame?

I ask as I am curious about something. I was going through a historical group for the town and some folks were talking about their pay back in that time frame in various places around town, and curious if back then they were a good wage, not bad, or poor. I have no clue as I was not around back then....

9.38 per hour

3.36 per hour

6.00 per hour.

The jobs mentioned were some sort of logging, retail and BC rail.


Oh and look how much snow they got back then, now almost never snows, let alone this much.

Oddly looking at the flyer from the grocery store, some things are the same price today...name foil which was being advertised for 99 cents, and you can still find it on sale for 75 cents to one dollar...

Re: Anyone in Canada in 1979-1982 time frame?
 

Yes that's about the right spread. The union wages were higher by about twice though.

Re: Anyone in Canada in 1979-1982 time frame?
 

How was the whiskey?

Re: Anyone in Canada in 1979-1982 time frame?
 

Electronics goods were actually more expensive back then than now.

Re: Anyone in Canada in 1979-1982 time frame?
 

Smokier, tried the Bowmar today. If someone gave me a bottle I'd drink it but it's out of my price range. I've helped a friend who is a janitor at the legislature take her bottles to recycle and it seems the only thing politicians drink is single malt.

Re: Anyone in Canada in 1979-1982 time frame?
 

Yes indeed. Electronics one of the few things that seem to get cheaper as time goes on....

Even 15 years, DVD player was 200 or more dollars, now 50 bucks, 30 bucks, 20 sometimes even...lol

Re: Anyone in Canada in 1979-1982 time frame?
 

Not all malts are peaty/smokey but most of that selection was. The Glenlivet is nicely balanced.

Re: Anyone in Canada in 1979-1982 time frame?
 

Those wages look about right from what I remember

Daycare in a parent-organized registered daycare with 3 paid trained staff and 20 children cost me $100 a month in 1979. It was held in the basement of the local Community Centre and shared a washroom with 6 cubicles with a pre-school that met 4 mornings a week .......... hence the city would not register it for the full complement of 30 children.

It's quite horrifying to look back and realise how little many things cost then compared with now


We were able to use only OH's salary for mortgage payments, groceries, and most bills. My salary basically paid daycare and allowed us to save about $50-75 a month for holidays and what I used to call "jam" ....... occasional visits to the theatre (neither of us is a big fan of movies).

We could afford to eat out with our daughter on a Friday evening to "civilize" her at places like White Spot, a pizza house or such, and the meal would cost us about $10-12 for the 3 of us .......... McD's was forbidden on Fridays.

We were both paid monthly, and there were months when there were more days left than we had money, but we always seemed to get through, even if we had to have scrambled eggs or fish fingers for dinner :lol:

Re: Anyone in Canada in 1979-1982 time frame?
 

caretaker and Shard ...............

there is a great hotel in Nanaimo which has a Whisky Bar. They have about 126 different kinds of whisky, a lot of whiskeys, and of course other liquors.

I was amazed at the countries in the world that are now producing "whisky"

I don't (can't) drink, but OH loves it when we stay there, and tries different single malts every night.

Re: Anyone in Canada in 1979-1982 time frame?
 

:drinkingwine:

Re: Anyone in Canada in 1979-1982 time frame?
 

:rofl::thumbup:

Re: Anyone in Canada in 1979-1982 time frame?
 

.
50 to 100 is about what we have left in a month after bills and other expense excluding toiletries and clothing and such are paid.

Oil change month is the worst as it takes everything for the month....:lol: Luckily its only 3 times a year.

Jan/Apr/July/Oct we have an extra 108 or something from GST rebate.

The ad I saw had strip loin steak for 1.29/lb, today its 9.99 per pound on sale.

According to bank of Canada 1.29 in 1979 is 4.18 today.

9.00 in 1979 = 29 today

My hourly pay today would have been 4.64 in 1979, would that have been a good wage, moderate wage, or low wage back then?

Min wage today would have been 3.17 in 1979 (per hour)

Re: Anyone in Canada in 1979-1982 time frame?
 

I have little idea of what hourly pay was back then, except then, as now, there were always calls for it to be increased (calls that always seemed legit and necessary!).

I was paid monthly, and initially worked 4 days a week. I was non-union at that time as I had a degree above that which the union was then allowed to include in their members. However, the university had agreed that any increases in salaries for union members at contract negotiation time would also apply to non-union members doing the same or similar job.

I was paid from a research grant, which was finite ....... so every time the union negotiated an increase for "technicians / research support staff", my boss would have to work out how many hours he could afford to pay me.

The end result of course was that my hours decreased but my salary didn't increase very much!

Later, my degree level was included in the union, and I had to join the union. By that time, my job had evolved and changed, and I was being paid from department funds .......... but a similar situation regarding how much money they had available.

By about 1990 I was working half time, but spreading my hours over 3 days by going in a little later in the morning and taking a longer lunch hour.

The benefits were good ........... except for pension. I was initially not eligible to pay into the Staff Pension Fund as I was not full time. Later, the rules were changed to admit those who worked more than half-time, BUT one had to pay in a lump sum to make up for the missed years. We couldn't afford that lump sum ....... so I get only OAS and CPP. In addition, we can income split as pensioners ........ that reduces OH's taxable income, and makes me eligible to claim certain benefits (such as medical expenses).

I did get good vacation time (6 weeks at 10 years + all Stat holidays), and sick leave of 1 day a month that accumulated over the years if not used. I could also bank any overtime hours, and take days off later ........... they actually preferred that as it was cheaper than paying overtime!

The best was good working conditions with great people. Otherwise I would not have worked there for over 30 years

Re: Anyone in Canada in 1979-1982 time frame?
 

In 1971 at 16 I got $2/hr for shovelling rocks and swinging a hammer on a CPR extra gang 10 hrs/day, so 2 hrs was overtime. Min wage was $1.25. The reserves paid $4.70/ day to $11.50 between 1970 and 1973. 1972 Hudson's Bay Northern Stores in northern Manitoba @ $3900/yr, 1973 $3.00 as porter in a CPR hotel, then built steel quonsets in the country (I formed and poured the grade beams and approaches) then flatwork (sidewalks and driveways, the odd patio) @ $3.00 - $3.50, 1974 - 75 $3.30 in the hospital,1976 I got $4.25 on the section gang, 1979 $7.00/hr when I quit. Probably $3.75 in '81 as security then $8.00 when I became a part-time caretaker and volunteer bartender at the club. For 25 or so years until my job became full time I worked as labourer, carpenter, painter, roofer and I made between $8 and $20 depending on the job. After 34 years you get to know a lot about a business. :lol: Also for a couple of years in the early 90's I trained dogs in a retriever kennel for $10/hr. I don't know how much I get per hour now but most days I'm worth every cent of it. No pension :( but I get 5 or 6 weeks holidays now which is great, I'm going to miss that.

Re: Anyone in Canada in 1979-1982 time frame?
 

My first job in 1977 was at The Beehive Restaurant at the top of Clappison Cut. I washed dishes (by hand!) and made $1.25/hour. It was filthy, hot and full of cockroaches. But it did give me money for rollerskating and to buy the Carhart overalls my dad refused to pay for. :lol:

My first apartment was in 1979 and I paid $100/month in the centre of Hamilton on Bold Street. It too was full of cockroaches, but they were playmates for my cat.