Today fifteen certified living wage employers signed, sealed and delivered a letter to Premier Wynne, the leader of the Official Opposition Mr. Brown, and Leader of the NDP Ms. Horwarth.
The letter urges Ontario to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour with annual cost-of-living increases for workers.
Until recently, any discussion about raising the minimum wage included business leaders and pundits speculating about job loss and other unproven effects on the markets.
But something is shifting. More often we are hearing from responsible business leaders who see the value in paying a decent wage.
Please share this page far and wide. We need to prove to our political leadership that Ontario is ready to do better.
May 29, 2017
The Honourable Kathleen Wynne Premier of Ontario
Mr Patrick Brown, MPP (Simcoe North) Leader, Official Opposition
Ms. Andrea Horwarth, MPP (Hamilton Centre) Leader of New Democratic Party of Ontario
Legislative Building Queen's Park Toronto ON M7A 1A1
Dear Premier Wynne, Mr. Brown, Ms. Horwarth,
Today in Ontario, more than 1.8 million workers earn less than $15/hour. Many workers are not earning enough at their jobs to meet basic needs such as rent, food and utilities. These workers often need to cobble together multiple jobs and don't have time to spend with family or participate in community activities. The health and wellness of low-wage workers is often adversely affected by the stress of working poverty.
Ontario can do better!
As fifteen local business owners in Ontario, we believe paying employees a living wage is good for the bottom line of our business and good for society. Higher wages mean less absenteeism, less sick time, a reduction in turnover and greater productivity. When employees earn more, that's money spent locally on goods and services in the community which helps drive the economy and creates jobs. That's why we've voluntarily committed to pay a living wage within our businesses; we're encouraging others to do the same.
We support a $15/hour minimum wage with annual cost-of-living increases as a wage floor for workers. Not only is a $15 minimum wage the right thing to do, it just makes economic sense.
Signed,
Helmi Ansari
Chief Sustainability & Innovation Officer
Laura Babcock
President
Trent Bauman
Project Manager/Designer
Menno S. Martin Contractor Limited
Mark Chamberlin
President/CEO
Jeff Martin
President
Nicolle Morton
CEO
Roz Mugford
Co-founder
Dan Peace
Owner
Josie Rudderham
Owner
Jacqui and Tim Schmucker
Owners
Tim Simmons
Owner
Damin Starr
Owner
Pre-Line Processing
Paul Terpstra
Founder
Noel Jones
President
Westdale machine Company
Brent Zorgdrager
Chief Executive Officer
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