Calls to Ontario’s Employment Standards Hotline Double Following January Wage Increase
The number of Ontario workers contacting the Minister of Labour’s Employment Standards hotline to ask about the minimum wage has doubled since the rate was increased to $14 an hour on January 1, 2018.Data from the Ministry of Labour shows the total number of calls specifically about the minimum wage more than doubled in January 2018 — after the new minimum wage took effect — compared to January of last year.
Today, Premier Kathleen Wynne reiterated the government’s commitment to fairness for workers and a $15 minimum wage in 2019 during a visit to a Toronto restaurant.
The increase in calls to the Employment Standards line demonstrates that the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act is having its intended effect and that there is a need for government to stand up for workers who are not receiving the fair treatment now mandated by law under Bill 148. That legislation became law in November and brought in improvements for workers including:
A plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour on January 1, 2019
Up to 17 weeks leave after a worker or their child has survived domestic or sexual violence, with the first five days being paid days of leave
Ten days of personal emergency leave per calendar year for all workers, including two paid days
A required three weeks annual paid vacation for all workers who have been with the same employer for five or more years
Equal pay for part-time workers who do the same job as full-time workers.
Fair workplaces with fair wages are just one of the many ways the Ontario government is building a fairer, better province where higher wages mean people can better care for themselves and their loved ones. A fair wage builds on the government’s work to make tuition free for hundreds of thousands of students, make prescriptions free for everyone under 25 and build 100,000 new child care spaces, the majority of which will include subsi dies.
QUICK FACTS
Ontario’s minimum wage is scheduled to increase to $15 an hour on January 1, 2019.
Inquiries to the Employment Standards hotline about the minimum wage or cancelled shifts more than doubled in January 2018 when compared to January 2017.
Over the past 40 years, part-time work has grown to represent nearly 20 per cent of total employment.
There are more than one million workers in Ontario earning a minimum wage.
Currently, over half of the workers in Ontario earning less than $15 per hour are between the ages of 25 and 64, and the majority (nearly 60%) are women.
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years.
Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTER1qCBK7g
(Please browse through the photo gallery and watch the video)
It was like a dream I never knew I wanted.
But
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IBBY_jK9zA
The former Sifton-Cook Heritage Centre held its opening in Cobourg for the summer season on May 18, 2024.
Another special
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O-zPeJGKDg
It was a beautiful evening in Peace Park in Cobourg.
A angler peacefully casts his line, while a beaver, Northern
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IBBY_jK9zA
The former Sifton-Cook Heritage Centre held its opening in Cobourg for the summer season on May 18, 2024.
Another special
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O-zPeJGKDg
It was a beautiful evening in Peace Park in Cobourg.
A angler peacefully casts his line, while a beaver, Northern
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlKTSdyGPlE
The Cobourg Fire Department responded to the encampment located at 390 King Street East for reports of a woodstove
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O-zPeJGKDg
It was a beautiful evening in Peace Park in Cobourg.
A angler peacefully casts his line, while a beaver, Northern
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkv9-2U27Jc
Over 700 people descended on Cobourg for the third annual Cameco Step-Up for Mental Health 5 Km Fun Run.
The
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GeCuuXk0Xc
Napanee Raiders took the first game of the Tod Division finals against Port Hope Panthers at the Jack Burger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUO4y998toE
The 16th annual Port Hope Firefighters Association Hockey Tournament takes place this weekend.
The tournament kicked off on Friday, April
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GeCuuXk0Xc
Napanee Raiders took the first game of the Tod Division finals against Port Hope Panthers at the Jack Burger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS_FLJ9QWnE
The Port Hope Panthers are off to the Tod Division finals after defeating Amherstview Jets on Saturday (March 23,