Minimum wage in 1975, 2013 equal / Ontario ties minimum wage to CPI
Minimum wage in 1975, 2013 equal, in constant dollars: StatsCan
OTTAWA — Those who earned minimum wage in 1975 were making the same amount, in constant dollars, as their counterparts in 2013.
According to a report released on July 16 by Statistics Canada, the average minimum wage in 2013 was $10.14 per hour, and $10.13 in 1975 (expressed in 2013 dollars, to account for inflation).
In between that period, however, the minimum wage fluctuated significantly. Between 1975 and 1986, the wage declined from $10.13 to $7.53, before increasing to $8.81 in 1996.
Up until 2003, the minimum wage remained relatively stable, at around $8.50. Since then, each province has raised its rate.
The report also noted 6.7 per cent of the Canadian workforce earned the minimum wage in 2013, a jump from five per cent in 1997 — with much of that increase happening between 2003 and 2010.
Of the provinces, Prince Edward Island and Ontario employ the highest number of minimum wage workers, at 9.3 per cent and 8.9 per cent respectively. Alberta has the lowest rate, at 1.8 per cent.
Young, less-educated, part-time and service industry workers were most likely to be paid the base wage.
Ontario looking to tie minimum wage increases to CPI
OTTAWA — Following Ontario’s June 1, 2014, minimum wage increase to $11, the province is introducing legislation to ensure its minimum wage keeps pace with the cost of living.
The Stronger Workplaces for a Stronger Economy Act, 2014, is designed to further increase protections for vulnerable workers. The act would, if passed:
• Tie future minimum wage increases to the consumer price index
• Eliminate the $10,000 cap on the recovery of unpaid wages and increasing the period of recovery from six and 12 months to two years for employees
• Prohibit employers from charging fees and seizing personal documents such as passports from temporary foreign workers
• Make temporary help agencies and their clients liable for certain employment standards violations, helping to decrease the number of companies that hire individuals solely to work in unsafe conditions.
The province will also boost the number of enforcement officers in the province to ensure more workplaces are inspected and employees are protected, said the government.
"Taking the politics out of setting the minimum wage provides fairness for workers and predictability for businesses. This legislation, if passed, would also protect the most vulnerable workers and level the playing field for employers who play by the rules," said Kevin Flynn, minister of labour.
If the legislation passes — Ontario has a Liberal majority government — increases to the minimum wage would be announced by April 1 of each year, and come into effect on Oct. 1. The act is a combination of the Fair Minimum Wage Act, originally introduced on Feb. 25, 2014, and the Stronger Workplaces for a Stronger Economy Act, originally introduced on Dec. 4, 2013.
