Ontario is poised to become the second province in Canada to move toward a minimum wage of $15.00 an hour, with an announcement coming today from Premier Kathleen Wynne and the province's minister of labour.
Wynne is due to make the formal announcement with Labour Minister Kevin Flynn.
Government officials say the increase from the current $11.40/hour minimum wage will be phased in, but would not reveal the timeline.
Alberta's NDP government has announced a $15.00 minimum wage would take effect in October 2018. New York state is to follow suit in 2021, and California in 2022. The cities of Seattle and San Francisco have already brought in $15.00 minimum wage rules for certain classes of workers.
Wynne argues Ontario's economy is now strong enough to justify a boost for low-wage workers and turns aside claims that it will hurt businesses.
Patrick Brown's Progressive Conservatives have yet to say where they stand on the minimum wage. Andrea Horvath's New Democratic Party committed in April 2016 to a $15.00 minimum wage, if elected.
The wage hike will be among other reforms to rules governing workplaces in Ontario to be announced Tuesday. The moves are based on the recommendations of a review of the province`s employment laws, which included increasing minimum annual paid vacation to three weeks once a worker has spent five years with an employer; prohibiting the payment part-time staff a lower wage than full-timers doing the same job in the same workplace; making it easier for workers in retail and fast food chains to form unions.
