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YOUR TURN
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MINIMUM WAGE EARNERS DESERVE RAISE |
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This is from GIAN SIHOTA of Delta:
Minimum wage in B.C. has not increased since 2001. However, the cost of living has continued to increase. This means that minimum wage earners are getting poorer and poorer, living below the poverty line. And inspite of a robust economy, the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen.
It is totally unfair that more than 115,000 British Columbians earning less than $17,000 (poverty line) a year be punished more. While at the same time corporate profits are increasing and CEO's compensation packages have skyrocketed. Ironically, today there are more people earning minimum wage in B.C. than in 2001.
Who are these people? They are women over 60%, young adults, young
families and students. Many students are earning low wages in order to pay tuition fees that have doubled since 2001.
The minimum wage in B.C. is out of step with the real cost of living in the province which has the most expensive housing and highest cost of living in the country.
An increase in the minimum wage is one of the best ways we can assist the working poor to find affordable housing and ease the burden of the homelessness crisis. Recently, Alberta, Yukon and Ontario have increased their minimum wage. Nunavit and NorthWest Territories have a higher minimum wage than B.C.
In November, 2001, the Cambell Liberals introduced a $6 "training wage." There is no basis to continue with this training wage and this discriminatory policy should be scrapped.
It is now time that minimum wage need to be increased to $10 per hour and raised to $11 per hour by 2008. After that it should be linked to cost of living index.
It will improve quality of life for many British Columbians and will increase equality and fairness. This is a fair thing for B.C. government to do.
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