Minimum wage

Saturday November 17, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday November 17, 2018

Ford government’s 1st fiscal update shows Ontario cut deficit to $14.5B

Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government says it has cut the province’s deficit by $500 million, bringing the figure down to $14.5 billion in its first few months in office.

June 25, 2018

The change is announced in the government’s Fall Economic Statement for 2018-2019, its first major fiscal update since winning the spring election.

“The fiscal hole is deep,” Finance Minister Vic Fedeli said in presenting the document to the legislature on Thursday afternoon. “The road ahead is not an easy one and will require difficult decisions. Everyone across the province will be required to make sacrifices, without exception.”

The government said it has made progress on cutting the deficit by finding $3.2 billion in efficiencies in operations, including a hiring freeze across the public service.

The belt-tightening measures laid out also include rolling the positions of three independent officers — the environmental commissioner, the child and youth advocate and the French language services commissioner — into the offices of the auditor general or the provincial ombudsman.

Government staff could not say what will happen to those working in the eliminated offices, but Premier Doug Ford has consistently promised that no jobs would be lost as a result of his cost-cutting.

Plans for a French-language university have also been cancelled, though the government could not immediately say how much money the move would save.

Though it is spending less, the government said it is also taking in $2.7 billion less in revenue in the fiscal year — including $1.5 billion attributed to the cancellation of cap and trade.

More than $300,000 in lost revenue is attributed to cancelling planned tax increases, including one that would have raised taxes for small businesses, the document says.

The Tories had said the previous Liberal government left a $15 billion deficit, a figure disputed by critics, who said it includes spending promised by the Liberals but cancelled by the current regime.

While the document mentions returning the province’s budget to balance, it does not spell out how long it will take to achieve that goal. (Source: CTV News) 

 
 

Friday January 19, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday January 19, 2018

Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals may surprise in upcoming provincial vote

Kathleen Wynne will shuffle her cabinet on Wednesday, six months ahead of the next provincial election. It didn’t take long for the jokes to start after the news broke on Tuesday night. Rats from sinking ship was a common theme.

November 28, 2017

One wise guy on Twitter simply responded to the news of the shuffle by tweeting out a video clip from James Cameron’s Titanic. What particular scene? The band stoically playing on as the ship slides beneath the waves.

She’s smart and shrewd and connects well with people, particularly in small settings.

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath is quite good too, and the Conservative leader, Patrick Brown, though still to some measure unknown, certainly seems to hold his own. But Wynne, at the very least, will not be at a material disadvantage here. She will surprise people.

And then there’s the goodies. Lower hydro rates. A higher minimum wage, with a politically helpful spat with some rich Tim Hortons heirs thrown in, might impress  some middle- and lower-income voters the Liberals urgently need aboard. And the so-called OHIP+ plan, essentially universal pharmacare for young Ontarians, might not be the whole smash pharmacare advocates would want, but it’s a big step in that direction. And Lord only knows what else they’ll roll out in the months to come.

October 24, 2017

None of this will erase their record over the last 15 years. There is a lot of anger out there against this government, much of it deserved, but the fact remains that the party and the Premier will be in a decent place to contest the next election.

Whatever problems the Liberals have going into this campaign, someone still needs to beat them at the ballot box. The parties can’t all lose, someone needs to win. The Liberals are getting to set to do that, and the NDP and Conservatives are going to need to fight back. (Source: Global News) 

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Tuesday January 9, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday January 9, 2018

Province vows to step up enforcement to ensure $14-minimum-wage is paid

The Ontario government is stepping up enforcement to ensure employers are paying workers the new $14-an-hour minimum wage.

Labour Minister Kevin Flynn said Monday that up to 175 new employment standards officers are being hired to inspect workplaces that may not be abiding with the hourly increase from $11.60 that took effect Jan. 1.

“You can’t break the law in the province of Ontario; you have to pay the minimum wage,” Flynn told reporters at Queen’s Park.

“Unfortunately, it appears some employers are abandoning the spirit of this legislation and some may even be doing more than that,” the minister said.

“The stories we’ve all heard over the past week have not only been disappointing, but quite frankly they’ve made the premier, myself, and others in this province angry,” he said.

That was a reference to the children of Tim Hortons’ billionaire co-founders reducing benefits to employees in response to the wage hike at their two franchises in Cobourg.

Ron Joyce Jr., whose father co-founded the coffee shop chain, and his wife, Jeri Horton-Joyce, daughter of Tim Horton, told workers they would no longer be entitled to paid breaks and would have to pay more for dental and health benefits.

The couple said the measures were to help their company cope with the jump in wages. Unlike independent businesses, franchisees cannot simply raise prices to offset higher labour costs.

Similarly, a Scarborough Tim Hortons outlet banned employees from accepting tips and stripped them of paid breaks in response to a $2.40-wage-rise.

Tim Hortons’ corporate parent has dubbed them a “rogue group,” the actions of which “do not reflect the values of our brand.”

Echoing Premier Kathleen Wynne, Flynn warned such “bullying behaviour will not be tolerated. (Source: Toronto Star) 

 

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Friday, June 6, 2014

Saturday, June 7, 2014What Are Your Top Reasons For Voting?

ADD YOUR LIST IN THE COMMENT BOX BELOW

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday, June 7, 2014

Saturday June 7, 2014Can’t stand any of them? Are you in a non-swing riding where you know marking an x won’t really mean anything? You can DECLINE YOUR VOTE.

The 41st Ontario general election will be held on June 12, 2014. It was ordered to take place by Lieutenant Governor David Onley on May 2, 2014. The decision came upon the recommendation of Premier Kathleen Wynne after Ontario New Democratic Party leader Andrea Horwath announced that the NDP, whose support was critical to the survival of the Ontario Liberal Party’s minority government in the 40th Legislative Assembly of Ontario, would vote against the Liberals’ proposed budget. (Source)

10 best reasons to vote this election

 1. Pick your billion-dollar transportation plan

 The Liberals will pay for rapid transit in Hamilton, but won’t utter the letters L-R-T. The New Democrats will fund light rail, but won’t say how. And the Tories, well, they’ll scrap it all in favour of a contentious mid-peninsula highway past the airport.

 2. Class size conundrum

 The Progressive Conservatives plan to increase class sizes for children of all ages, while at the same time cutting teachers and school staff. The consequence is more concentrated classrooms, which could be challenging for your kids. But the party will bring back the old math curriculum so your kids aren’t so dependant on calculators.

 3. Affordable housing

 More than 5,000 people are waiting for affordable housing in Hamilton, and the Liberals are the only ones with a platform to fix it. But the party’s commitments still fall desperately short of the need for more funding, housing stock and capital repairs.

 4. Crumbling roads and bridges

 The city has a $2-billion backlog on needed repairs to bridges, roads and other infrastructure and all it takes is a quick drive down Burlington Street to prove it. The Grits and the New Democrats have both pledged $29 billion to transportation over the next decade, but it’s not clear how much of that could end up on our city streets.

 5. Pension promises

 The centrepiece of the Liberal election platform is the creation of a provincial pension plan that would double the retirement income of recipients — a potential boon for the more than 3 million Ontario workers who haven’t saved enough. Is it the perfect solution or, as Ontario Tory Leader Tim Hudak put it, a “job-killing payroll tax”?

 6. Scandals

 From cancelled gas plants to a massive research bailout, Kathleen Wynne and her Liberals have been plagued by scandals on the campaign trail — and her political foes warn it’s not the end of it. This is your chance to hold the Grits accountable.

 7. 100,000 pink slips

Hudak says he’ll cut 100,000 public sector jobs and then create a million more jobs. His math has been widely criticized. Do you believe in a job-creation tax credit or a jobs and prosperity fund? On Thursday, you can choose your preferred plan — but you might want to brush up on your arithmetic before you cast your vote.

8. Think of those in need

 The Liberals and New Democrats promise to tackle poverty through initiatives such as student nutrition programs, child health and dental benefits, and higher wages for the lowest earners. The PCs also support boosting the minimum wage. These steps would benefit Hamiltonians — one in five of whom live below the poverty line — but they still fall short of a “living wage.”

9. School closures

 The Grits have offered incentives to close half-empty schools, while the New Democrats promise cash to keep them open. The Green party? It’ll create a single school system in Ontario, saving more than $1 billion a year — and, potentially, your neighbourhood school.

10. Democracy

 It’s been 70 years since D-Day when more than 350 Canadian soldiers died fighting for our freedom and democratic rights. Honour their ultimate sacrifice by getting to the polls. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

CBC Ontario Votes

CTV Election 2014

Spec Votes 2014

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This cartoon appeared on National Newswatch, and Yahoo Canada News.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Saturday, February 1, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday, February 1, 2014

Ontario raises minimum wage to $11 an hour

Ontario’s Liberal government is raising the minimum wage to $11 an hour, promising annual increases will be tied to the
rate of inflation, but critics say it’s not enough to lift workers out of poverty.

Premier Kathleen Wynne announced the 75-cent-an-hour hike Thursday — the first minimum wage increase in the province since 2010 — calling it a “fair adjustment” that reflects the rise in the Consumer Price Index.

Dalton McGuinty’s Raise in 2007

“I think the vast majority of people in Ontario understand that it’s very difficult to make ends meet living on minimum wage, and that there needs to be a fair way of allowing minimum wage to keep up with the cost of living.” she said.

Anti-poverty activists and unions have been demanding an immediate increase to a $14-an-hour minimum wage, but the government has said that would hurt businesses and end up reducing jobs.

The Ontario Convenience Stores Association admitted some of its members won’t like the $11 dollar minimum wage, “but it’s better than $14,” said CEO Dave Bryans.

“Some of our members might be upset, but there’s an adjustment period,” he said. “Many people get their first jobs at convenience stores or the fast food sector, and I believe it’s time that everybody had a fair wage.”

However, the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association warned the 75-cent hike will result in fewer jobs, especially among youth, calling it “unnecessary, tough for small business and counter-productive.”

The Retail Council of Canada said it likes the plan to link future hikes to inflation, but complained about using the Consumer Price Index to determine a catch-up raise for the past four years. (source: CBC News)