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This Vancouver suburb has brought in a "living wage" law:
Source. Of course, it's a matter of debate whether the increased spending by workers who are suddenly making more money will outweigh the impact of possible layoffs that might result among contractors who are affected by the law. The issue was debated today on this radio show (part 3); unfortunately the proponent didn't really address the critic's arguments, while the critic simply made unsourced assertions about the amount the unemployment rate would increase for a given increase in wages.
On Tuesday, New Westminster city council made history of sorts:
It passed a motion that would make New Westminster council the first municipal government in Canada to enact a "living wage policy."
Notice the terminology -- "living wage" not "minimum wage." The practical, and philosophical, gap between the two is huge.
Once the details have been worked out and the policy takes effect, all full-and part-time employees doing work on city-owned property, including those working for independent contractors, must be paid a "living wage" -- defined as enough to keep a family of two working adults and two children above the poverty line.
That figure for New Westminster, according to the motion, works out to $16.74 an hour -- a figure that includes benefits factored into it. That is more than twice B.C.'s minimum wage of $8 an hour, now the lowest in Canada.
"In an area like Metro Vancouver," said Coun. Jaimie McEvoy, who introduced the motion, "where housing costs are among the most expensive in the country, the minimum wage doesn't cover the cost of living. A living wage does, and maybe even allows people to save a little."
It passed a motion that would make New Westminster council the first municipal government in Canada to enact a "living wage policy."
Notice the terminology -- "living wage" not "minimum wage." The practical, and philosophical, gap between the two is huge.
Once the details have been worked out and the policy takes effect, all full-and part-time employees doing work on city-owned property, including those working for independent contractors, must be paid a "living wage" -- defined as enough to keep a family of two working adults and two children above the poverty line.
That figure for New Westminster, according to the motion, works out to $16.74 an hour -- a figure that includes benefits factored into it. That is more than twice B.C.'s minimum wage of $8 an hour, now the lowest in Canada.
"In an area like Metro Vancouver," said Coun. Jaimie McEvoy, who introduced the motion, "where housing costs are among the most expensive in the country, the minimum wage doesn't cover the cost of living. A living wage does, and maybe even allows people to save a little."