Wyonch and Busby – The Great Minimum Wage Debate: How to Balance Good Intentions and Evidence
From: Rosalie Wyonch and Colin Busby To: The Ontario Minister of Labour, Kevin Flynn; and Concerned Ontarians Date: July 11, 2017 Re: The Great Minimum Wage Debate: How to Balance Good Intentions and Evidence The prospect of a $15 per hour minimum wage in Ontario, as of January 1, 2019, has set off heated debate […] Evidence shows immigrants will get fewer jobs as Ontario ratchets up minimum wage to $15: Financial Post Op-Ed
Ontario’s proposed 20.6-per-cent increase in the minimum wage from $11.60 in October to $14 on January 2018 is the largest dollar hike in any Canadian province over the past two decades. By Jan. 1, 2019, the minimum wage is scheduled to reach $15. Poverty advocates argue many low-income households will benefit. But they should also take a close look at the Canadian evidence that shows that minimum-wage hikes will lead to fewer jobs for immigrants.
Much of the current Ontario debate has focused on either U.S.-based research or the experience in some specific cities. Ontario Labour Minister Kevin Flynn said that wage increases in San Francisco and Seattle led to increasing employment in those areas. The most recent data…
Parisa Mahboubi – Canada Can Do More in Race for Skilled Workers
From: Parisa Mahboubi To: Concerned Canadians Date: June 12, 2017 Re: Canada Can Do More in Race for Skilled Workers A number of global destinations are tightening immigration and temporary foreign workers controls. This presents Canada with the opportunity to get more out of the world’s mobile skilled workforce. The new Global Skills Strategy seems […] Bill Robson on BNN – From Cirque du Soleil to software providers, Canada needs foreign workers
There are industries that you might not think need foreign workers, but the demand is widespread. BNN speaks with President & CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute Bill Robson about why Canada’s Global Talent Stream program looks promising.
Parisa Mahboubi – Most Vulnerable Workers Will Feel The Brunt of Employment Changes
From: Parisa Mahboubi To: The Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario Date: June 8, 2017 Re: Proposed changes to employment standards In response to changes in the workplace over the past 30 years, Premier Kathleen Wynne has announced several proposed changes to Ontario’s employment standards legislation. What is less clear, however, is whether these new rules […] High minimum wages have minimum benefit: Globe and Mail Op-Ed
Ontario and Alberta will soon dramatically increase their minimum wages to $15 an hour. Unfortunately, these fast and sizable minimum-wage increases are likely going to reduce employment and increase poverty, particularly for the low-income families that the governments are seeking to help.
The Ontario government introduced legislation on June 1 to raise its minimum wage from $11.40 an hour to $14 next year and then to $15 on Jan. 1, 2019. As soon as Jan. 1, 2018, Ontario will face – under the legislation – the largest one-year increase in the minimum wage rate (22.8 per cent) of any province over the past two decades.
In June, 2015, Alberta was the first province to plan a $15 minimum wage, which would amount to…
Ben Dachis – Ontario’s Laws Of Unintended Consequences
From: Benjamin Dachis To: The Hon. Kevin Flynn, Ontario Minister of Labour Date: June 1st, 2017 Re: Ontario’s Laws of Unintended Consequences The Ontario government announced a sweeping overhaul of the relationship between workers and employers on May 30. In addition to increasing the minimum wage and increasing entitlements under the Employment Standards Act, the […] Peter Hicks – The Federal and Ontario Approaches to Fighting Poverty: Too Much Emphasis on Income?
From: Peter Hicks To: The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Government of Canada The Honourable Dr. Helena Jaczek, Minister of Community and Social Services, Government of Ontario The Honourable Chris Ballard, Minister Responsible for the Poverty Reduction Strategy, Government of Ontario Date: April 18, 2017 Re: The Federal and Ontario […] Our Workers Outgunned: Financial Post Op-Ed
Business investment in Canada is weak. The 2017 federal budget highlighted how it is lagging the rest of the economy. Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz and his colleagues have expressed concerns. A few weeks ago, Deputy Governor Larry Schembri emphasized the importance of business spending on new plant, equipment and intellectual property for growth in the short run, and for the capital stock that raises living standards over time. Weak investment is a problem now and for the future.
We estimate that Canadian businesses will spend about $11,700 per worker on new, non-residential capital this year, far below a peak of $15,100 in 2014. The fall-off means the average Canadian worker will have less infrastructure,…
Don’t Worry About the Robots, Canada: iPolitics Opinion
The robots are coming! No job is safe! We’ve been hearing this refrain for a while now, describing the latest wave of the technological revolution that has transformed economies everywhere. But is there truly nothing a machine can’t do better than a person?
With all that current technology can accomplish, it’s easy for people to assume that robots will be replacing humans in all corners of the workplace. Our latest research for the C.D. Howe Institute — ‘Future Shock? The Impact of Automation on Canada’s Labour Market’ — carefully assesses the evidence.
Our main conclusion: There’s no need to reach for the panic button just yet.
It seems like the federal government agrees with us, as the recent budget…
Equipment Failure: Feeble Business Investment Costs Canadians their Competitive Edge
Business investment per worker in Canada is at its worst level compared to the United States in more than a quarter century, according to a new C.D. Howe Institute report. In “Equipment Failure: Feeble Business Investment Costs Canadians their Competitive Edge,” authors William B.P. Robson, Aaron Jacobs and Benjamin Dachis analyze trends in business investment […] Rosalie Wyonch on BNN – Automation poses no doomsday scenario for Canadian jobs
Rosalie Wyonch, policy analyst at C.D. Howe Institute, joins Business Day to discuss their latest report, which rejects alarmist claims that automation will lead to mass unemployment in Canada.
Click here to the read the report, “Future Shock? The Impact of Automation on Canada’s Labour Market.”