BALANCED APPROACH NEEDED FOR MINIMUM WAGE ISSUE
OSOYOOS TIMES-April 8, 2009
It's not easy to tackle the issue of raising British Columbia's minimum wage without raising some ire.
Suggest increasing it from the current rate of $8 an hour and many will argue that the province's small businesses will face difficult challenges in an already difficult economic climate.
Suggest maintaining the provincial government's current freeze on the rate and many will argue that the ranks of working poor will grow and have little chance of making ends meet in one of the country's most expensive provinces to live in.
Right now, B.C.'s general minimum wage is tied for second lowest in Canada with only New Brunswick offering a lower rate at $7.25 an hour.
And even that province plans to increase it before the end of the year.
Looking at a minimum wage hike right now, as employment rates in British Columbia and across the country continue to drop, seems like a foolish idea as many businesses are struggling to keep their employees working.
But the argument to keep the wage where it is, even though many groups are calling for an increase to $10 an hour, seems to create a paradox.
To keep the status quo means small businesses will be able to stay afloat, some say.
However, the cost of living, seemingly taking no notice of the dire straits the economy is in, continues to go up.
If workers have to pay more for food, shelter and fuel, will they have any money left over from their paycheques, without a bump to their wages, to spend in any of these businesses?
Now, jacking the minimum wage by $2 right now may be the equivalent of kicking someone while they're down.
An alternate idea might be to set up a system of small, incremental wage boosts over say a five-year period.
The rate could be increased by 50 cents each year to give businesses a chance to adjust and the economy a chance to recover.
That way, it might just work out that businesses and low-income workers can keep their heads above water in trying financial times.
