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| Coffee Lounge Talk amongst other community members. |
| View Poll Results: shoud BC raise the minumim wage to $10/hour | |||
| yes, raise the wage to $10 |
   
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26 | 63.41% |
| no, keep it at $8 |
  
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13 | 31.71% |
| undecided |
  
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2 | 4.88% |
| Voters: 41. You may not vote on this poll | |||
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LinkBack | Topic Tools | Rate Topic |
Nov 05, 07
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THEY ARE RAISING THE TAX BRACKET AS OF THIS UP COMING YEAR!
Im not sure if this link is the most resent, but I believe they are letting us claim an extra $1000 untaxed... and then again each % bracket has also been risen by about $1000 or so. What are the income tax rates in Canada? Updated: 10/03/07 Province General Wage Alberta $8.00 BC $8.00 Manitoba $8.00 New Brunswick $7.25 Newfoundland $7.50 NWT $8.25 Nova Scotia $7.60 Nunavut $8.50 Ontario $8.00 PEI $7.50 Quebec $8.00 Saskatchewan $7.95 Yukon $8.37 BTW we also dont have the highest min wage in Canada. It doesn't make sense that you would expect the minimum wage to be increased because of the standard of living in your city is so high. If you where to live anywhere else in BC you wouldn't have a problem with minimum wage. Also keep in mind that in Edmonton, some restaurants are not only offering good pay, benifets, but a paid vacation to Mexico if an employee promis to stay for at least 6 months. I dont think minimum wage is a Province or National problem, but a problem with in our own city. Going back to my time working in Australia. Minimum wage was $5, but I would assume this was set for highschool students and apprenticeships. If you have a highschool education and some work experince... finding a $10-$20 job was not a problem. Minimum wage should not be for a job that requires skill or hard work, but the most simple mindless job you can think of, most likely made for a paper boy or the person who stands on the street corner with a giant sign. The only reason I would suggest we raise minimum wage would be for uni/college students trying to get through. However if we can narrow the problem to just them... then lets focus harder on lowering tuition fees or setting up scholarships. Last edited by R Wellbelove; Nov 05, 07 at 12:45 AM. 
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Nov 05, 07
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^According to an article on the BC Federation of Labour website: "250,000 British Columbians - about 12 percent of the provincial labour force - make do on less than $10 per hour."
The same article states that: "relative to the cost of living, BC has the second lowest minimum wage level in Canada." You can read it here: New Westminster latest City Council to back $10 minimum wage call - BC Fed Challenges Campbell to meet with Minimum Wage Earners | British Columbia Federation of Labour
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Nov 05, 07
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hmm...
Diva - I know ALOT of people who make $8.00 ALOT of company's still hire at minimum wage.. I've noticed through interviewing, that alot of fast food resteraunts are paying $8.50 and up but maybe thats because nobody wants to work in fast food! My mom has been a stay at home mom for 15 years and recently decided to get a part-time job to keep her busy. She got hired at Canadian Tire for $8.00 an hour. I was shocked. If she worked full-time she would be making roughly $1000 a month (after taxes) and if you think of average expenses (Car insurance, Rent/Morgage, Food, Gas, Bus Pass, Utilities) that money goes FAST.. I personally don't think the average person in B.C could live off that. As a manager I am a little on the fence. As far as im concerned,I feel that if minimum wage is raised by $2.00, then every employee at my work (no matter what their current wage) should also be increased by $2.00. However, I know that being a smaller company, this might not be affordable. I don't know..It has it's ups and it's downs..
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Nov 05, 07
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if nobody would work those jobs for $8/hour, then they would raise it.
But you see, people WILL work for $8/hour, so it's acceptable. Like Jim said, not everyone can afford to live in Toronto/Vancouver, that's why places like Moosejaw exist.
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Nov 05, 07
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- we are all spoutin off like "who the fukc works min wage" this and that like we are all ballers. we are not. even you diva! you have a habit about goin on and on about how much you make....super tacky.sorry,im sure you dont mean to come off like that but you do. anyways i vote to keep it where it is. min wage workers are most likely students,people with disabilites who are subsidized by our tax dollars,and brand new immagrants right? the whole idea is to go to school and get training so you DONT have to work min wage right? if anything they should lower it so people would be motivated to go to school or be keen to receive training to move up the ladder. that would improve our economy becuase they would have more disposable income and buy more things,consume and feed the machien wich inturn would make us a better city with a better infrastructure. as i get older i have little sympathy left for homeless and drug addicts(less abuse,mental disability) becuase we as tax payers pay HUGE money for amazing social programs for people to improve themselves and find work. my favorite quote lately "he who is not a socialist at 21 is a fool.....he who is still a socialist at 51 is a even bigger fool" so i ask, but really......WHO THE FUCK WORKS MIN. WAGE????
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Nov 05, 07
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What happens when we raise the minimum wage? Does this then put more value into entry level jobs where little or no relevant experience or education is required and therefore group more people in a lower wage gap who may not feel the necessity to get the experience or education they need to make more money?
Minimum wage is all relative. I don't see why people think we have it so bad here in Canada, because we don't. The cost of living can be far more expensive in many American states/cities where the minimum wage is significantly lower, and most people with min. wage jobs have to pay out of pocket for ALL of their health care expenses. Why is it we have so many people who are concerned with the rate of the minimum wage, yet they are desperate enough to hire people to work at a fast food restaurant in Fort St John that they will offer a wage MUCH higher than minimum to work a pretty easy job. Decades ago, when people faced poverty or a bad situation they would travel thousands of miles to go where they could get more financial security for their families- why don't they do it today? Poverty in Canada is present and need not be ignored as a real issue, but we are very lucky as Canadians. There are people in other parts of the world making what we would make in an hour for a whole day of hard work and live in conditions pretty unimaginable to even the poorest Canadians without things like welfare, health insurance, child care subsidy, etc. I'm a fence sitter on the whole issue really, but I have to wonder if all the people who think that an $8/hour minimum wage is so horrible really ever try to look beyond their own province, or even country.
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Nov 05, 07
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I respectfully disagree with you on this. I dislike braggers, especially people who constantly need to fill us in about how much money they make just as much as you do. Even though you felt like she was bragging, she was illustrating a really good point about income tax. Sometimes it brings validity to your point to have actual specific information, which she did. I very much doubt her intention was to let everyone know how much money she makes. Do you know how many hard hours you have to work to earn 7k as a nurse? Just put it into perspective.
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Nov 05, 07
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I really don't give a rats ass if I come across as being tacky. I was trying to make a point that getting rid of a MANDATORY tax like income tax would be retarded. Anyone who knows me knows that i'm one of the least materialistic people alive. I live in a shitty apartment dt (with a roommate) when I could afford to live somewhere way nicer. I work hard right now because like almost all students, I had to take out massive students loans to get through university, and those loans need to be paid off. I didn't cry about minimum wage when I was going to school. Make some logical and cohesive arguments to support your case. No one's answered my question yet. Describe the demographic that works for minimum wage. Is it high school students who work in the service industry? Because I don't think they should get paid more than $8/hour. Is it university students? Well being a broke student is a fact of life. Education should be subsized, but wages shouldn't be arbitrarily increased. Is it single mothers? We need more social programs to help them get better educations and develop skills they can get use to get better paying jobs. Is it the mentally ill or handicapped? Again, better social programs. Why do you guys think that the answer to poverty is to just pay ppl more money? That's an extremely narrowminded way of viewing the situation. Last edited by diva; Nov 06, 07 at 12:14 AM.
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Nov 05, 07
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Here's an example of the average hourly wage by demographic in BC. (Taken from Stats Canada, not the biased BC Federation of Labour.) Most of the low wage earners are young people. They also make up the smallest percentage of people in our labour force. So again, this minimum wage debate isn't really an issure for MOST people trying to support families.
Average hourly wages of employees by selected characteristics and profession, unadjusted data, by province (monthly)
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Nov 05, 07
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Mom & pop shops aren't gonna go to hell in a hand basket if the minimum wage is raised, because truthfully, they won't. We're not in a recession, the economy is booming and putting more money in the pockets of the the demographic which not only has the most liberal spending habits but also the most disposable income (15-25yr olds) will do nothing but help their businesses.
But if the minimum wage does get raised screwing up my quarter-pounder at McDicks will result in a beat down.
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Nov 06, 07
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"nope, you make less than $25k, head to the jaw."
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Nov 06, 07
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It's a realistic outlook on living standards as a whole. Not everyone can afford to live in as an ideal place as Vancouver. Don't wait for the government to give you a raise because you can afford the living standards in a certain area. Learn to live within your means. I certainly didn't look for a hand out to be making the salary that I make, just so I could live where I do. By your sense of socialist ideals everyone should have a nice fat chunk of beach front property overlooking the North shore. While you're at it, say hi to the mayor of Candy Land for me.
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Nov 06, 07
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The problem with living in a city as expensive as Vancouver isn't really our minimum wage. It's the fact that people who get paid more than minimum wage, still can't afford to live here. They're the working poor. Raising minimum wage doesn't affect these people, because they make more than minimum wage, but not enough so that they're considered above the poverty level.
"The average hourly wage of low-income workers was also much higher than the minimum wage in effect in all the provinces in 2001. Therefore, the minimum wage would have to increase substantially to have a significant impact on reducing the number of low-income workers in Canada" Poverty and Exclusion - Canada’s Working Poor
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Nov 06, 07
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Everyone in this city is suffering from the high cost of living, but thats the sacrifice we ALL make. That is why someone who owns an apartment down town could instead own a house in moosejay for the same price. Its a choice of how you want to live.
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Nov 06, 07
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come on Myra, starving kids in Chinese factories have nothing to do with what we are talking about.
as for the $18/hour jobs at Tim Hortons or whatever in Fort Mac they pay that well because the cost of living is through the roof. also there's a vacancy rate of 1% or something crazy. so basically it's not as good as it sounds. Quote:
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Nov 06, 07
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I'm going to have to agree with what Diva has been saying over the past two pages of this thread. I have never ONCE worked for 8.00. My first job was at Superstore as a cashier and they paid 8.75. Granted they probably took that extra 75 cents in union dues, but that's the price you pay for being in a union. I don't think the the right way to go it to hand someone a $2 dollar raise and hope they survive, because they won't. If all businesses are required to raise the minimum wage to $10.00 an hour, we are all going to be paying for it. Kiss the gas prices being at least moderately low (for Van right now) good bye, same with decent priced food and welcome to us all paying higher prices for everything.
Quite frankly if you're working at minimum wage, shame on you for not looking elsewhere. No matter what your job, you should always be on your heels for better opportunities, keep that resume up to date. Although I am not a socialist by any means when it comes to my political views, I think handing someone a raise, rather than putting it into the programs that will help them do better in the future is waste of out time. That's like handing someone money for their crack problem and hoping they use it for the right reason. Or like giving someone an increase in their welfare cheque instead of dumping it in to facilities that will help them get jobs. But I digress, as the stats have been posted above most people who make minimum are students and unfortunately debt is part of the life of a student. Instead of raising it, pump money into bursaries or grants. If it's single moms, maybe better options for child care are needed. Vancouver is an expensive place to live, but no one is forcing anyone to live here. There are plenty of places in BC that will pay higher because they need workers and the cost of living there is substantially lower. As for Fort Mac, yeah it's ok making 16 an hour working at MC D's but that's not the only thing you should look at. Unless you have your accommodations paid for you, you're looking at spending $1000 a month on a room, let alone a place to raise your family. In essence Fort Mac is a good model to look at for minimum wage raise. Although it's not officially 16 an hour, it might as well be, because you can't live off of anything lower in that town. Start raising the price here... guaranteed people eventually won't be able to afford living here.
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Nov 06, 07
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Fort Mac has allowed the market to decide what the going rate should be. Because people won't really work for less up there, they've had to raise the wages to fulfill economic needs. Now look at our situation. We've created a wage floor in a standard economic model of labor supply and demand. With a minimum wage, your labor supply is much higher than demand. In turn, we've created unemployment as a result. Great system, no? These people are then put on welfare, a cost directly on YOUR tax dollars. If there was no minimum wage, then people would be paid the going rate for whatever the task is. Essentially, labor supply and demand would reach an equilibrium (such as it has in Fort Mac, although here it would assumely be just under what min wage is now for most positions). I can't summarize things as nicely as Jim can (re: welcoming the mayor of CandyLand), but I'm really fucking tempted to draw some graphs for you people.
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Nov 06, 07
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personally i found my cost of living in phoenix to be remarkably less, and phoenix isn't exactly moosejaw, the population booms to almost 5 million at times. arizona is a state that will cover your emergency medical costs if you apply and qualify. although you don't have our medical coverage it's not like you are left high and dry, there are programs. and then there's the housing in idaho. some apartment buildings put income restrictions on the applicants meaning they can't exceed on average $25,000 a year. anyone making over that will have their application rejected. they also have section 8. section 8 is where the government works together with various apartment complexes that have been approved for the program. the people who qualify for section 8 have almost all of their rent covered by the government. as far as i know we don't have housing options like that here. but maybe i'm wrong. so while the min wage may be lower than here, the cost of living directly reflects that or so has been my experience. Last edited by impure; Nov 06, 07 at 10:56 AM.
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