TORONTO, September 11, 2013: Businesses want the Ontario government to adopt a predictable, transparent, and fair process for determining Ontario’s minimum wage, according to a new report released by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC).
The report calls on government to introduce a new process that would link changes in the minimum wage rate to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), an economic indicator that captures changes in the cost of living.
Currently, Ontario’s minimum wage rate is determined by the government on an ad hoc basis and through unspecified criteria. This method results in sudden increases in the minimum wage, and unfairly exposes employers to unanticipated increases in the cost of doing business.
“We’ve considered all the options at Ontario’s disposal,” said Allan O’Dette, President & CEO of the OCC. “Tying the minimum wage to the CPI will bring predictability to the process. It will allow businesses to plan for increases in their labour costs and protect the long-term purchasing power of workers earning minimum wage.”
Though supportive of regular increases to the minimum wage, the group cautions against temporarily adopting a formula that would see rates outpace inflation.
“We’ve seen convincing evidence that major hikes in the minimum wage will have adverse effects on employment levels, particularly among youth and in Ontario’s retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors,” says O’Dette.
The report is based on extensive consultations and surveys with employers from across Ontario. Its release comes as Ontario’s Minimum Wage Advisory Panel begins its consultations in communities across the province.
KEY FACTS:
In a recent OCC survey, 60% of employers in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors say that an increase in the minimum wage will hurt their businesses and force them to lay off employees.
Ontario’s minimum wage of $10.25 is above the national average and the highest in the Great Lakes Region.
The minimum wage in Ontario has increased 50 percent over the last 10 years.
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce consulted with over 1,200 of its members from across the province to formulate its position on the minimum wage.
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact:
Neville McGuire
Manager of Communications, Ontario Chamber of Commerce
T: 416.482-5222 ext. 2410
E: nevillemcguire@occ.on.ca
23 September 2013
United Way Bruce Grey Utilities Support Update
Union Gas, Westario Please advise customers that there will be no more funding until the New Year and they are to call 211 at that time.
Hydro One Please advise customers that there will be no more funding until the New Year and they are to call 1-855-487-5327 at that time.
OIL, WOOD, PROPANE, WATER/SEWER -> Please advise customer to call 211 but that there are no current funds available and that they will be put on a waiting list.
Holly Devlin, AFCC
Community Response Co-ordinator
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United Way Bruce Grey
Change starts here.
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380 9th Street East Owen Sound ON N4K 1P1
519 376 1560 | 800 794 1728 I fax 519-376-5458
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11 Sept 2013
The 2011 National Household Survey: Income of Canadians was released today. New data from the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS) show that more than 95% of the approximately 27.3 million Canadians aged 15 and over received some form of income in 2010. Ontario, with a share of income from employment of 74.8%, was close to the national level of 74.7%.
Persons living in low-income neighbourhoods
The NHS collected data for over 5,000 neighbourhoods, or census tracts, across Canada, accounting for close to
three-quarters of the Canadian population. Neighbourhoods were considered low-income neighbourhoods if 30% or more of the people living there had low income. Very low-income neighbourhoods were defined as a subset of the low-income neighbourhoods where 40% or more of the population had low income.
Overall, there were 478 low-income neighbourhoods in 2010. Nearly one-fifth (18.9%) of the low-income population
living in neighbourhoods lived in these low-income neighbourhoods. Of these 478 low-income
neighbourhoods, 137 were classified as very low-income neighbourhoods and contained 6.5% of low-income
Canadians living in neighbourhoods.
Just under half (48.5%) of the total Canadian population living in census tracts lived in the three largest CMAs of
Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver. Close to three-fifths (58.6%) of all low-income neighbourhoods in Canada were
located in these three metropolitan areas.
Sherbrooke had the highest proportion of its low-income population living in low-income neighbourhoods (44.5%).
Other CMAs or census agglomerations with relatively high proportions of low-income persons living in low-income
neighbourhoods were Windsor (40.6%), Trois-Rivières (39.2%), Montréal (33.6%), Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
(33.0%), Saint John (30.6%) and Winnipeg (30.4%).
See the full report at: 2011 National Household Survey – Income of Canadians
