ON ISSUE #28 - 32-per-cent hike in minimum wage rates will cause many small businesses to close

[bardern]

radical thinking perhaps but if our fearless leaders didn't spent money like drunken fools and cheat us out of 1.2b on non existent gas fired electricity plants maybe they could drop the tax rate and accomplish the same thing.
just saying

[mosquito]

I have used an automated once this year if I recall right when I was in a huge rush and really needed something. Twice at Canadian tire I left things behind with the girl at the automated tellers and said to have her tell the manager I was shopping elsewhere. Several times when told I could use the automated by someone I told them I can also shop somewhere that believes in customer service....

radical thinking perhaps but if our fearless leaders didn't spent money like drunken fools and cheat us out of 1.2b on non existent gas fired electricity plants maybe they could drop the tax rate and accomplish the same thing.
just saying

An increase to the basic exemption would be a real good start all right, but remember this is the same party in the Ontario gov't that federally TOOK AWAY from students and kids breaks on tuition, text books, kids sports credits, kids arts credits ... and promptly got their trust fund millionaire leader who is notable for TAKING from charities (WHILE an MP) not donating and getting two taxpayer funded nannies.


...and remember by increasing their pay they are increasing the taxes they pay ... so making businesses pay so they can collect more taxes from low income earners while not helping them at all since all the costs go up too.

[mosquito]

MPP spinning the sabotage and he is right .... alot of small businesses won't be operating a year from now with the revised business plans that include the new wages, electricity rates, carbon taxes etc.

http://barrie.ctvnews.ca/video?clipI...ylistPageNum=1
Barrie MPP Ann Hoggarth lashed out at critics of the minimum wage hike by saying business owners shouldn't be operating if they can't afford


but then and this is one of many many stories like this I have seen.

http://barrie.ctvnews.ca/my-life-is-...sses-1.3699940


https://www.simcoe.com/news-story/79...wage-increase/
'My life is really destroyed': Butcher blames high hydro rates for closing his businesses


Barrie Liberal MPP, Labour Minister talk tough over minimum-wage increase
Government responds to Barrie butcher's suggestion hydro rates, wage increase forced him out of business

“If you’re going to go out of business on the backs of your employees because you can’t afford to pay them this, perhaps you should reassess your business plan and whether you should be an employer,” Hoggarth said. “This is the right thing to do.”


...
The province has hired an additional 175 employment standards officers to enforce the changes.


Seems it WAS a viable plan up until the Liberal's started their sabotage to small businesses to me! 175 new hires to enforce the new laws .....ah yes, the Liberal way of job creation.

[mosquito]

After 23 years Black Tomato to shutter; owner blames minimum wage hike
http://ottawasun.com/news/local-news...1-7f00683595d7
The restaurant, a stalwart of ByWard Market dining for 23 years, will close at the end of the month.

“It’s the minimum wage, absolutely. That will be an $80,000 hit for me, just in hours,” Besserer said. “Then you have to factor in the grey area of what all the other stuff that comes through the door is going to cost. Is it going to be 10 per cent more? 15? 20? Who the hell knows? Nobody knows.”

Ontario’s minimum wage, now $11.60 an hour, climbs to $14 on Jan. 1 and to $15 on Jan. 1, 2019. Besserer employs 17 people at the Black Tomato and says he simply can’t afford the increased labour cost. That it takes effect in the toughest month of the year for restaurants only makes it tougher.

[yellow dog]

After 23 years Black Tomato to shutter; owner blames minimum wage hike
http://ottawasun.com/news/local-news...1-7f00683595d7
The restaurant, a stalwart of ByWard Market dining for 23 years, will close at the end of the month.

“It’s the minimum wage, absolutely. That will be an $80,000 hit for me, just in hours,” Besserer said. “Then you have to factor in the grey area of what all the other stuff that comes through the door is going to cost. Is it going to be 10 per cent more? 15? 20? Who the hell knows? Nobody knows.”

Ontario’s minimum wage, now $11.60 an hour, climbs to $14 on Jan. 1 and to $15 on Jan. 1, 2019. Besserer employs 17 people at the Black Tomato and says he simply can’t afford the increased labour cost. That it takes effect in the toughest month of the year for restaurants only makes it tougher.

I personally know Peter Besserer and he is one of the hardest working people I know. His restaurant has a very good reputation and he is an excellent business man ! If he can no longer make it in the restaurant business then I will guarantee many restaurant owners will follow and shut down as well.

[MarkB]

I could give a lecture in basic economics but it would fall on deaf ears. When people make more money, they spend more of disposable income. You spend more business's make more. For every one article you bring up saying that a rise in the minimum wage is a bad idea, there are 30 to prove that wrong. Let's use your "$12/hour is liveable wage theory"

$12x 37.5= 450 a week 1800 a month.
$1800- $1000 Avg rent= $800
$800- $175 utilites= $625
$625- $260 food = $365
$365- $300 Student Loans, Car Payment, Insurance= $65

On a very basic level you have $65 in disposable income a month divide that by 4 and you have $16 a week. That means for the majority of people in Ontario we can just put back $65 dollars a month into the economy. That mean's no retirement savings, no children because you can't afford it. No sick days because those aren't paid for us anymore, Little vacation because you can't afford it, basic medications if covered, no purchased house etc. You can't have a functioning society if the next 3 generations are broke. Even if we work fulltime. Those generations are suppose to subsidise the retired

Hold on, hold on! Let's get a few things straight!
Are you suggesting that a person purely working for a minimum wage automatically should earn enough to rent/own their own place?
So you're saying that we should not motivate people to get an education or become a skilled trade by simply giving them more money so they don't need to think about ... you know ... actually seeking a skilled job that WILL provide a better salary?

My second point is, if you make labor costs more expensive ... automation becomes more attractive. The cost of automation is not increasing, it is falling, certainly as it becomes more widely used and overheads are distributed. So actually, this simply gives owners more reason to automate, and it is happening. The pace is going to pick up significantly in the next 3 to 5 years. What's the solution ... EDUCATE YOURSELF AND FIND A SKILLED JOB!

Oh and one more thing, so the minimum wage earner gets an increase of $3/hr ... so 25% increase. Where do they shop? What do they eat? How do they travel? And how much more does all that cost them? If real costs to them go up by 25% then how have they improved their quality of life?? For me, I have to maybe fork out an extra 2% of my spending ... doesn't hurt as much as it will hurt them. The solution. EDUCATE YOURSELF AND FIND A SKILLED JOB!

Oh and before you tell me, they can't because their stuck ... two things to say about that:
1) Yes there are people that are stuck, and I have NO problem supporting expenditure to fund education to get people unstuck. You want to really improve the economy, and increase quality of living. This IS the key, not raising min wage ... that is a short term political tactic that is fooling most.
2) Plan for a better future ... your children. Don't encourage them to aim for a min wage job, they must do better than that. A min wage job should be for students, anyone who doesn't need to work (has enough money) and just wants to keep busy, or those who don't mind living below the poverty line.

Have a great day!

[mosquito]

Day care in Collingwood now and I am betting hundreds more across the province are looking at their 2018 projections.
https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/owner-of-c...sure-1.3722204

Wynne and the Libs are killing small businesses and increasing the public payroll (ex. 175 to check compliance with new laws)......

[mosquito]

I see Wynne is screaming success on her Facebook and twitter feeds on OHIP and of course minimum wage change.

Minimum wage hike prompts Ontario businesses to raise prices, consider staff cuts
http://ottawasun.com/news/provincial...b-34b2dd825d8f



I know at a friends restaurant they are talking about reducing hours the staff work and increasing the owners hours, closing earlier and some rather substantial price increases as soon as they figure out the impact on their supplies, who are also raising their prices, and so it starts. Working more and making less .... Liberal Ontario where ideology and financial understanding are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

[Bluebulldog]

The trouble with the Provincial Government is that they are completely ignoring the fact that there will be a "trickle up" effect with semi-skilled labour wages as well.

The stylist at a hair salon who is already making $15.75-16, are they going to remain static while the new hire coming in to sweep is going to get $15? The electronics producer who has staff working the solder table making $17, but they drive from an hour away? When they can get a non-skilled job closer to home for only $2 less?

Both of those are businesses owned by friends of mine, BTW.

No, both are struggling to mitigate price increases, and still keep the lights on ( all LED now). One is looking at closing down one salon in favour of the busier location ( laying off staff). The other has taken much of his operation offshore, or is doing it themselves......and yet their business which at one time had 12 employees, now is a sole proprietorship of a cottage business if you will. He had plans on selling it in order to fund retirement......that is no longer an option.

[trimmer21]

The trouble with the Provincial Government is that they are completely ignoring the fact that there will be a "trickle up" effect with semi-skilled labour wages as well.

The stylist at a hair salon who is already making $15.75-16, are they going to remain static while the new hire coming in to sweep is going to get $15? The electronics producer who has staff working the solder table making $17, but they drive from an hour away? When they can get a non-skilled job closer to home for only $2 less?

Both of those are businesses owned by friends of mine, BTW.

No, both are struggling to mitigate price increases, and still keep the lights on ( all LED now). One is looking at closing down one salon in favour of the busier location ( laying off staff). The other has taken much of his operation offshore, or is doing it themselves......and yet their business which at one time had 12 employees, now is a sole proprietorship of a cottage business if you will. He had plans on selling it in order to fund retirement......that is no longer an option.

The same thing has happened for my friend who I mentioned in an earlier post. He sent letters out,today,to his summer students advising that he couldn't hire them again this year. He wanted to give them lots of notice,so,they had time to find something else. He's managed to sell a lot of his equipment,keeping only the best of what he thinks he'll need. He still has a good business base,but,naturally,that'll shrink,too. He's planning on working a few more years with paid-for equipment at a much greater profit margin,then,retiring.