Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario, made an announcement on Tuesday about raising the minimum wage that has since shook the province with both positive and negative feedback. The Premier said that she plans to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by January 2019. This increase will be phased in over the next 18 months, with the first increase to $14 an hour coming in January 2018 and then the extra dollar an hour would be phased in by the following year.
After this increase, the minimum wage will rise annually according to inflation.
Ontario will be the second province in the country to raise their minimum wage to $15 an hour, with Alberta being the first province to make the jump into the next bracket of minimum wage payment.
This wage increase is part of a larger plan from the Wynne government, all under the umbrella of the legislation called, The Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act.
In this act, part-time workers and contract workers will be required to be given a minimum vacation entitlement of three weeks for workers who have been with an employer for five years or more. In addition to this added vacation time, employees would also be entitled to 10 personal emergency days a year, with a minimum of two of those days being paid.
For small businesses, arguably the ones who will be hurt the most by this announcement, this increase in the minimum wage marks a change that could add the average Ontario restaurant an extra $47,000 a year.
Click here to learn more about the Ontario minimum wage raise.
Bullshit. It’s always and only the cheap labour conservatives who decry minimum wage increases when society and those same cheap bastards actually benefit the most from it. Seattle implemented a $15 hour minimum wage several years ago, and it’s not up to $18 – and guess what, they have the lowest unemployment rate in the US. They when from 10% to 2.7% unemployment. When people at the bottom have disposable income to dispose of they buy stuff and that in turn boosts the overall economy. However $15 is still a joke. Living wage in Canada is now actually $27 per hour – and will be $30 in 2019 – so the government is still lagging behind by 100%. $15 adjusted for inflation is still peanuts in Canada – the country where we pay the most for things and get the least for our money in any county in the first world. And that says nothing of real estate being completely unaffordable.
Totally agree with Jahn Dough. People who complain about this don’t have the facts.
Jahn Dough – You underestimate small business and corporations. Expect hours to be cut and people to be laid off.
There is no way an employer is going to pay someone $15 /hr and maintain a part-time worker at even (20) hours per week. As well, you say minimum wage should be $27.00 how much do you want people to pay for something as simple as a loaf of bread $9.99 ? Do expect the price of just that, a loaf of bread to increase within the next (6) months as well as many other things. There making more poverty by increasing minimum wage. Considering the Liberals won’t get re-elected; watch it unfold and it won’t be pretty.
There is fine print, you’re looking at the headlines.
Christopher – totally agree with your point of view!
Cost of living is correlated with the minimum wage. Lots of people do not realise it. An extra dollar increase on the minimum wage will increase the extra operating costs of the small business. Small business will need to pass on the costs by increasing the price of the food/products in order to continue operating the business. If not, business will need to either layoff or close down and the rate is unemployment will definitely go up instead.
This will result in job losses and the reduction of hours. High school students attracted by the higher wage will take on more hours and those working full time for minimum wage will end up working 3 days a week. Those with grade 12 or less will suffer the most from this. For big fast-food business like McDonalds automation will replace workers Wendy’s is doing the same. This will harm the very people its claiming to help.