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"People need a living wage, not a survival wage." - James Clancy, NUPGE National President.
Toronto (24 Jan. 2014) – Operation Maple took to the streets of Toronto recently to get answers to an important question: Could you survive on $10.25 an hour? You may be surprised by what they heard.
The overwhelming response was that living on minimum wage would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, especially if you were trying to raise a family. People acknowledged that minimum wage jobs were mostly part-time and temporary, so more than one job would be necessary to be able to afford things like rent, transportation and food costs.
As one person commented about living on minimum wage, "It's not a good quality of life. You can't live comfortably with it." His friend added, "You can survive, but you can't live on it."
Raise the minimum wage campaign
There is a campaign to raise the minimum wage taking place in several provinces, including Ontario. Ontario's $10.25 per hour minimum wage falls in the middle of the rest of the country's minimum wages.
Alberta pays the lowest at $9.95 while Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and the North West Territories mandates $10 per hour. Quebec sits at $10.15, followed by Ontario and B.C., and Nova Scotia is at $10.30. The two highest minimum wages are found in Manitoba at $10.45 and the Yukon at $11 per hour.
The Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage was launched in March 2013, with communities across Ontario demanding the government break the freeze. Creative actions and rallies took place in 14 cities with local community groups and activists delivering the message to local Members of Provincial Parliament and Ministry of Labour offices.
"As part of a job strategy, governments must listen to people who are trying to survive on minimum wage," said James Clancy, National President of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE). "If we want our economy to get back on track, we need to address the low wages that are contributing to the problem.
Clancy continued, "People need a living wage, not a survival wage."
More information:
Operation Maple video: Minimum wage: Something we can all agree on
Ontario Raise the Minimum Wage campaign
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE