Ford announces minimum wage increase to $15 an hour

The Ontario government says the general minimum wage will increase from $14.35 to $15 per hour on January 1, 2022.

If the legislation is passed, liquor servers will also see a hike in their minimum wage from $12.55 to $15 per hour.

Liquor servers have previously received below the general minimum wage, based on the belief customer tipping can make up the difference.

However, the province says many of these workers have increasingly seen their tips pooled and redistributed among many staff, making it harder for them to make ends meet.

Students under the age of 18 who work 28 hours a week or less when school is in session, or work during a school break or summer holidays will see an increase from $13.50 to $14.10 per hour.

Homeworkers (those who do paid work out of their own homes for employers) will see an increase from $15.80 to $16.50 an hour.

Hunting and fishing guides currently have a minimum rate of $71.75 for working less than five consecutive hours in a day and $143.55 for working five or more hours in a day.

Their new proposed rate would be $75 for working less than five consecutive hours in a day and $150.05 for working five or more hours in a day.

The Ford government will release its 2021 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review on Thursday.

“Ontario’s workers have been the unsung heroes of this pandemic, as they’ve stocked shelves, kept our supply chain moving and helped so many of us enjoy a meal among family and friends at a local restaurant,” says Premier Doug Ford.

“When we asked labour leaders what their priorities were, increasing the minimum wage was at the top of the list. As the cost of living continues to go up, our government is proud to be working for workers, putting more money into their pockets by increasing the minimum wage.”

The National President at Unifor Jerry Dias spoke alongside the Premier Tuesday and says he does not think $15 per hour is a living wage in the province, but it is a good start.

“Look, has this government done things that have raised my ire? The answer is yes,” Dias said. “There’s a lot of work that just has to be done. Am I concerned about Bill 124 that restricts public sector wages to 1 per cent? The answer is yes. Do I think we should have permanent sick days in this province? The answer is yes.”

Dias says he will continue speaking with Premier Ford about pushing for working-class people’s rights.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath also agrees that the wage increase is still not living a wage.

“By cancelling the planned $15 minimum wage three years ago, Doug Ford has taken more than $5,300 out of the pockets of Ontario workers to date,” she said in a statement.

“Workers need a bare minimum of $17 an hour to cover the cost of living. We believe all working people should have a chance to build a decent life here.”

Doug Ford chose to take over $5,000 out of the pockets of minimum wage earners by canceling their wage increase.

He needs to give it back. That means a meaningful increase to the living wage — because $15 an hour just won't cut it anymore. #ONpoli pic.twitter.com/csVhuPvUS3

— Andrea Horwath (@AndreaHorwath) November 1, 2021

The Ontario Federation of Labour also criticized Ford for scrapping the initial minimum wage increase three years ago and taking too long to implement paid sick days.

Even then, the federation calls the current temporary paid sick days program “insufficient.”

Ontario’s Worker Income Protection Benefit, which mandates three paid sick days, has been extended until the end of the year.

“British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories all have a minimum wage of $15 or higher,” said Patty Coates, OFL President. “Not to mention Ontario’s public sector workers, many of whom worked the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, are still facing a wage cap.”

In 2018, the Liberal government at the time bumped the minimum wage up from $11.60 to $14 an hour, and businesses complained about the speed with which that rise happened.

The Ford government said that increase was a lot for businesses to absorb, so they were cancelling the next scheduled increase to $15 to allow companies to catch up.

Increases since then have been tied to inflation, and the most recent increase on Oct. 1 was 10 cents.

When asked Tuesday why he denied the $15 minimum wage then and raised it now, Ford called them two different situations.

“That’s like comparing apples and oranges,” he said. “We didn’t have the pandemic, a worldwide pandemic. Everyone’s been facing a challenge over the last 20 months. Things were a lot different back in 2018.”

The proposed changes for raising the minimum wage to $15 this time around are what the province says is part of their broader effort to support, protect and attract workers, and make Ontario the top place to live, work and raise a family.

With files from The Canadian Press