Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall
Minimum wage poll question
Ontario is proposing the largest increase to the minimum wage in the province’s history, raising it to $15 per hour, as part of a plan to create better jobs and fair workplaces, government officials announced earlier this week.
This will give more than a quarter of employees in the province a pay increase and government officials say it will help ensure that more workers are benefitting from Ontario’s economic growth.
“Ontario’s economy has outperformed all G7 countries in real GDP growth over the past three years, and unemployment is at a 16-year low. But the nature of work is also changing. People are working longer, jobs are less secure and benefits are not the same as they used to be. Many employees are working long hours and still struggling to support their families on the current minimum wage of $11.40,” government officials said in a press release.
Premier Kathleen Wynne was at the YWCA in Toronto earlier this week to talk about the government’s plan to increase the minimum wage to $14 per hour on January 1, 2018, and $15 per hour on January 1, 2019, followed by annual increases at the rate of inflation.
“Millions of workers in Ontario are finding it almost impossible to support their families on a minimum wage that just doesn’t go far enough,” Wynne stated.
“It’s time this rate reflected the reality of people’s lives. Raising the minimum wage is about creating a fairer, more equal society where everyone gets to share in our province’s economic growth.”
Government officials say Ontario will work closely with businesses of all sizes to support them as these changes come into effect, so they can continue to succeed and keep the economy strong. Raising the minimum wage will help businesses by improving productivity, increasing employee retention and boosting the purchasing power of workers.
More details from the Ontario government:
– Half of the workers in Ontario who earn less than $15 per hour are between the ages of 25 and 64, and the majority are women.
– The minimum wage increase is part of a landmark package of proposals to help create fair workplaces and better jobs. This includes ensuring that part-time workers are paid the same hourly wage as full-time workers for doing the same job, introducing paid personal emergency leave days for every worker, expanding personal emergency leave and making employee scheduling fairer.
– Earlier this month, Ontario released the final report of the Changing Workplaces Review, the first-ever independent review of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and Labour Relations Act, 1995.
Another note from the Ontario government, the special minimum wage rates for liquor servers, students under 18, hunting and fishing guides, and homeworkers will be maintained, and will increase by the same percentage as the general minimum wage:
Check out the full summary report, here.
Many people have been openly critical of the news on social media, including many local business owners (see the ‘Photo of the day’ below.)
What do you think?
Please let us know by voting on our poll below:
[polldaddy poll=”9759814″]
If you have a suggestion, story idea, column idea, or if you want to say hello… drop me an e-mail at aaron@sydenhamcurrent.ca.
Photo of the day
To help emphasize his feelings, Mark Childs, from the Black Goose Grill in downtown Wallaceburg, posted this on social media yesterday: “Today’s special. Wynne Burger”.
Weather forecast for Thursday, June 1, 2017
Today – Sunny. Becoming a mix of sun and cloud this morning. High 22. UV index 8 or very high.
Tonight – Partly cloudy. Low 10.
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