BC has much to learn from other provinces when it comes to poverty reduction. Six provinces now have poverty reduction plans, although most are still fairly new, and therefore we don’t yet have data to tell us what kind of success they are meeting with, the exceptions being Quebec and Newfoundland. What their plans and [...]
Entries Tagged as 'minimum wage'
Poverty reduction: What other provinces are doing
June 8th, 2010 · Seth Klein · No Comments · Children & youth, Poverty, inequality & welfare
Tax cuts don’t make up for BC’s low minimum wages
April 4th, 2010 · Iglika Ivanova · 3 Comments · Employment & labour, Poverty, inequality & welfare, Taxes
Responding to news of Ontario’s latest minimum wage increase (to $10.25 per hour), BC’s labour minister Murray Coell held firm on his government’s commitment to leave BC’s $8 minimum wage unchanged. The Minister seems convinced that the tax cuts over the last decade were so beneficial to low wage workers in the province, that they [...]
Tags: minimum wage·poverty·tax cuts
BC’s minimum wage is now 22% lower than Ontario’s
March 31st, 2010 · Iglika Ivanova · 5 Comments · Employment & labour, Poverty, inequality & welfare
Today, thousands of low wage workers in Ontario are getting a raise of 75 cent per hour, as the province’s minimum wage goes up to $10.25. This makes Ontario the first province to pass the $10 mark, but several other provinces are following closely. Newfoundland’s minimum wage will increase to $10 in July, as will [...]
Tags: minimum wage
New Brunswick Plans for a $10 Minimum Wage
January 6th, 2010 · Iglika Ivanova · 9 Comments · Economy, Employment & labour, Poverty, inequality & welfare
On January 5, New Brunswick’s provincial government announced plans to increase their minimum wage from the current $8.25 per hour to $10 over the next two years. The move has gotten surprisingly little coverage in the mainstream media out West so far, but I urge you to check out this excellent article on the Times [...]
Tags: minimum wage·poverty·recession
Healthy eating put out of reach for the poor
December 16th, 2009 · Seth Klein · 5 Comments · Children & youth, Health care, Poverty, inequality & welfare
Remember the Premier’s “Great Golden Goal” (G3?) about healthy eating? True, we don’t hear so much about it these days. But it was a laudable goal. Eating a healthy diet is important if we are to improve the overall health of the population, and thereby help to slow rising health care costs. And it’s particularly [...]
On minimum wages and talk radio
November 6th, 2009 · Iglika Ivanova · 4 Comments · Media, Poverty, inequality & welfare
Today marks the third time in the past four months that I get booted off a pre-arranged radio interview on minimum wages in BC. What is it about this topic that the universe doesn’t want me to say on live radio? I mean, I try not to be superstitious, but the string of coincidences is [...]
BC’s minimum wage the lowest in Canada
August 31st, 2009 · Iglika Ivanova · 6 Comments · Employment & labour
Tomorrow, September 1, officially marks the day that BC will become the province with the lowest minimum wage in the entire country ($8 per hour). This is because New Brunswick is proceeding with their plans to increase their minimum wage to $8.25. Meanwhile, BC’s government has repeatedly refused to increase the minimum wage here, claiming [...]
Tags: minimum wage
The devil take the hindmost
April 15th, 2009 · Keith Reynolds · No Comments · BC Election 2009, Economy, Poverty, inequality & welfare
In an earlier post I talked about the fact that when New Brunswick raised its minimum wage this spring, BC would be tied in last place for the lowest minimum wage in Canada. NB raised its minimum wage today and now BC, with the highest cost of living in Canada, is tied with two provinces [...]
Tags: minimum wage
BC’s minimum wage soon tied for Canada’s lowest
March 15th, 2009 · Keith Reynolds · 1 Comment · BC Election 2009, Economy, Poverty, inequality & welfare
On April 15th British Columbia officially wins the race to the bottom. That is the day New Brunswick raises its minimum wage to $8.00 an hour. When that happens New Brunswick, PEI and British Columbia will be tied with the lowest minimum wage in Canada. This three-way tie won’t last for long though. On September [...]
Tags: minimum wage·poverty
Why do BC kids need Finance Minister’s charitable donation to buy them shoes?
February 17th, 2009 · Adrienne Montani · No Comments · BC Election 2009, Children & youth, Employment & labour, Poverty, inequality & welfare, Provincial budget & finance
Minister Hansen donated money for shoes for poor children. Then he delivered a budget that doesn’t help parents who receive income assistance or who are working for the $8.00 per hour minimum wage to buy shoes for their own children. An act of charity that will help several children today compared to a missed opportunity [...]
Tags: budget·child poverty·childcare·inequality·living wage·minimum wage·welfare
