Increase to $17.20 an hour brings Ontario’s minimum wage to among the highest in Canada
News from Ontario’s Ford Government Followed by a Brief Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper
Posted October 1st, 2024 on Niagara At Large
TORONTO — David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (for Ontario), issued the following statement on increasing the province’s minimum wage:
“Today (this October 1st, 2024), the general minimum wage in Ontario increases from $16.55 per hour to $17.20, helping nearly one million workers earn more money for themselves and their families.
Ontario’s minimum wage is one of the highest in the country. This 3.9 per cent increase is tied to the Consumer Price Index, meaning that a worker making the general minimum wage over a 40-hour work week will have up to $1,355 more in their pockets every year. Our fair and balanced approach makes things predictable for both workers and businesses.
Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is committed to working for workers and supporting them as we continue to build a strong Ontario with a resilient economy.
We also know minimum wage jobs should be a starting point, not an endpoint.
That’s why we have programs helping people get into good jobs offering higher pay and more benefits. Most recently, we passed the Working for Workers Four Act, 2024, which puts workers first, fills the labour shortage, incentivizes employers to create more local jobs and helps more workers land better opportunities with bigger paycheques.
We are going to continue to deliver real, positive change so Ontario can continue to be the best place to live, work and raise a family.”
A Brief Footnote from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – While this latest hike in the minimum wage may seem like a magnanimous gesture on the Ford government’s part, it should be remembered that one of the first things Premier Doug Ford did when he came to office more than six years ago was postpone increases in the minimum wage and scrap a project launched by the former Ontario Liberal government to guarantee workers a basic income or a wage they can live more comfortably on.
According to the non-profit citizens advocacy grou Living Wage Niagara, a living wage in this region – defined as “what earners in a household need to be paid, based on the actual cost of living in their community – is now at least $20.35 an hour. That is more than $3.00 an hour higher than the minimum wage the Ford government is brining in this October 1st.
And yet, Doug Ford continues to portray himself as one who is there for regular, everyday people.
For more on Living Wage Niagara, click on –Home | Living Wage Niagara
For a related story on this issue, click on – Scrapping basic income pilot ‘horrific,’ former Tory senator says | CBC News
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