The new $15.00/hr. minimum wage increase in Ontario is...

[inanna]

stirring up a pretty heated debate on the CBC message boards (link to report with comments that follow):

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-minimum-wage-announcement-1.4137339

Won't more money in the pockets of the working poor help to STIMULATE the economy? I'm no expert, but...

[Else You Are Mad]

1. All the money made will directly go into the economy.

If you are making minimum wage you do not have the option to save money, so by raising it you are essentially putting money into grocery stores, landlords, clothing stores and the service industry.

A millionaire that gets a raise will only buy a few pairs of jeans and cars. Spread out that money to 100 poor people and they will buy 100 pairs of jeans and 100 cars.

[inanna]

2. Yeah. That's my thinking on the issue.

There's been so much fear mongering by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, I think that's got a lot to do with some of the sentiments being expressed on the CBC boards.

[Else You Are Mad]

5. Exactly. All Chambers of Commerce...

Are made up of the owner class and corporations that are only concerned about putting more profits into their bank accounts. They do not care about the greater good. If it were up to them, they would pay sweatshop wages.

[Saviolo]

4. Pretty much exactly this,

The only people who may struggle are small business owners who will now have higher wages to pay their employees, and may have to cut back on hours at new or struggling restaurants. My husband ran a restaurant for 2.5 years in Toronto, and was just barely above water at any given time, until the day that he wasn't able to keep the lights on any longer. But I think it will have a smaller impact than the general fear mongering that goes on. It's rare to actually see many small business owners complain about a minimum wage increase, it always seems to be a large business owner complaining on behalf of the small.

Also, it will allow more people to be able to afford to put money in the hands of the small business owners!

[guillaumeb]

3. 1) 70% of the GDP is consumer spending.

2) What puts more money into the pockets of working people stimulates the economy.

3) Higher wages assures higher tax revenues, thus helping local communities.

[inanna]

6. The oldest (first) comment on the CBC board is this one:

Donald Caldwell
32% increase ,, I have 10 part time employees ,, guess 3 gota go


Here are a few (liberal, I'm assuming) responses to that comment:

Brian Ellis
@Donald Caldwell, If that is the case, I hope you have to close your doors.


Mike Davis
@Donald Caldwell If you are that close to the edge I would suggest you are almost out of business anyways. Your business is weak.

Robert Borden
@Donald Caldwell I have 7 full time employees and this won't hurt me at all, but then again I pay them substantially more than minimum wage and already provide sick days, emergency family days including bereavement leave, and start employees at three weeks vacation.

The better I treat my staff, the better work I get from them and the more work I get from customers. They'll even work ungodly hours to get things done because they know I'll give them the same treatment they give me.


Fraser James
@Donald Caldwell If your business model requires you to pay your employees minimum wage (which isn't a living wage) then maybe you have a crappy business model. Or maybe you could work more hours or maybe you could take home less of the profits. These are all alternative options to firing people. But oh, wait, not in the world of a businessperson (whose SOLE purpose is to make money). Great purpose, btw.


Dave MacKenzie
@Donald Caldwell Your business model depends upon exploiting poor people? That should be a crime.

Again, I'm reading the older posts first. Conservative trolls seem to have stormed the board in the past few hours.

Apologies if this was hard to read. I miss formatting....

[EllieBC]

7. I'm really at a loss to understand wage increase hatred.

My dad was making $25 or so an hour in the 80s at Chrysler in the US. He was a journeyman whatever (not sure what he did). But he was able to own a home, feed us kids (and we kept kosher so that was $$$), pay for little extras, and afford a modest but solid car.

Why do people suddenly not want to see the majority of the population being able to afford that typical middle-class lifestyle???

[inanna]

8. There's been a lot of fear mongering in the Ontario media

Particularly in the Toronto Sun. Co-ordinated and on point with The Chamber of Commerce of Ontario.

It's been surprisingly effective.....

[inanna]

9. I can recall a time (before Wal-Mart came to Canada)

when grocery store clerks and shelf-stockers earned wages on a par with many of those in manufacturing. Most grocery sector jobs used to be unionized.

[EllieBC]

10. I have friends who work for Save On Foods here in BC.

The pay and benefits new hires receive compared to those who started 15+ years ago? It's night and day. There's no future in that industry anymore. Even their department managers make little to nothing.

[True Dough]

11. Sadly,

wage and benefit roll backs are a reality in many industries.

Canada Post is another, although their fortunes have fallen farther than most grocery stores. I have an uncle who worked for Canada Post for 30 years and supported his family nicely on his salary. He also received a generous pension when he retired.
Today there are not only fewer Canada Post positions available, but many pay $19/hr with little in the way of benefits. And if you deliver mail, they want you to have your own vehicle in some cases.

The average person is having a harder and harder time getting ahead.