City Councils from Terrace and Kitimat have jumped on board the movement in British Columbia to increase the minimum wage in the province from 8 to 10 dollars, making the case for the change during the Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention this week.
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Joining the two northwest municipalities is North Coast MLA Gary Coons, who has been part of the chorus for change that is looking for the increase for minimum wage workers.
Thirty municipalities have so far endorsed the plan to increase the minimum wage by two dollars, though interestingly enough the city of Prince Rupert is not one of them. They have yet to debate the issue, or sign up with those that are pushing for change. The Rupert contingent will get another chance to take a look at the proposal this week, when the idea comes up for debate during the final days of the convention.
You would think that they would be quick to offer their support, after all an increase of two dollars while not much in real terms, would still provide for a revenue stream for citizens of the city. An added bit of cash which may trickle down into city’s coffers through licenses and other such things.
And after all, when you’re losing track of the millions, you might think that perhaps every penny could come in handy…
The Daily News had details on the proposal in Wednesday’s paper.
Northern cities push for wage increase
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Page one
Both the District of Kitimat and City of Terrace have joined a push to see minimum wage raised from $8 to $10 an hour.
Speaking at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities Conference (UBCM) in Vancouver, Kitimat Mayor Rick Wozney said his Council voted unanimously to back the higher minimum - in part because all other provinces have done so this year.
Given Premier Campbell's standard pitch about B.C. being the best place on earth, Wozney urged Victoria to raise the wage to $10 "so that minimum wage earners can live in the best place on earth," he said.
Already supported by about 30 municipalities, a resolution calling for an increase to $10 will be debated during the UBCM convention this week.
If it passes, it will be forwarded to the provincial government
Wozney was joined at a press conference by four other counselors and B.C. Federation of Labour president Jim Sinclair to get support for a raise to minimum wage.
This included Coun. Debora Munoz of Prince George who said raising the minimum wage will help take the burden off local government, which relies primarily on the property tax to raise revenue.
"It's just not sustainable when we have to also deal with homelessness and affordable housing and poverty and policing costs," she said.
"And I reiterated that in my view that a healthy economy should equal healthy communities.
"People on $8 an hour are not making a wage they can live on, so in some cases they're actually at soup kitchens and food banks because they can't afford to rent a place as well as buy groceries."
Prince Rupert city council has not yet endorsed the motion, although North Coast MLA Gary Coons is in full support.
Munoz, who spent a night on the street with the homeless in Prince George last November, said Tuesday she would also like to exempt from income and payroll taxes people who fall below the poverty line.
Sinclair said raising the minimum wage is a "no-brainer."
"Eight dollars an hour has been a frozen wage for six years," he said. "And even $10 isn't high enough to make it livable, but at least it's a step in the right direction."
Thirty municipalities have so far endorsed the plan to increase the minimum wage by two dollars, though interestingly enough the city of Prince Rupert is not one of them. They have yet to debate the issue, or sign up with those that are pushing for change. The Rupert contingent will get another chance to take a look at the proposal this week, when the idea comes up for debate during the final days of the convention.
You would think that they would be quick to offer their support, after all an increase of two dollars while not much in real terms, would still provide for a revenue stream for citizens of the city. An added bit of cash which may trickle down into city’s coffers through licenses and other such things.
And after all, when you’re losing track of the millions, you might think that perhaps every penny could come in handy…
The Daily News had details on the proposal in Wednesday’s paper.
Northern cities push for wage increase
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Page one
Both the District of Kitimat and City of Terrace have joined a push to see minimum wage raised from $8 to $10 an hour.
Speaking at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities Conference (UBCM) in Vancouver, Kitimat Mayor Rick Wozney said his Council voted unanimously to back the higher minimum - in part because all other provinces have done so this year.
Given Premier Campbell's standard pitch about B.C. being the best place on earth, Wozney urged Victoria to raise the wage to $10 "so that minimum wage earners can live in the best place on earth," he said.
Already supported by about 30 municipalities, a resolution calling for an increase to $10 will be debated during the UBCM convention this week.
If it passes, it will be forwarded to the provincial government
Wozney was joined at a press conference by four other counselors and B.C. Federation of Labour president Jim Sinclair to get support for a raise to minimum wage.
This included Coun. Debora Munoz of Prince George who said raising the minimum wage will help take the burden off local government, which relies primarily on the property tax to raise revenue.
"It's just not sustainable when we have to also deal with homelessness and affordable housing and poverty and policing costs," she said.
"And I reiterated that in my view that a healthy economy should equal healthy communities.
"People on $8 an hour are not making a wage they can live on, so in some cases they're actually at soup kitchens and food banks because they can't afford to rent a place as well as buy groceries."
Prince Rupert city council has not yet endorsed the motion, although North Coast MLA Gary Coons is in full support.
Munoz, who spent a night on the street with the homeless in Prince George last November, said Tuesday she would also like to exempt from income and payroll taxes people who fall below the poverty line.
Sinclair said raising the minimum wage is a "no-brainer."
"Eight dollars an hour has been a frozen wage for six years," he said. "And even $10 isn't high enough to make it livable, but at least it's a step in the right direction."
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