Premier Wynn, it is time to raise the minimum wage in Ontario to $15/hr.

On April 24, 2016 Governor Cuomo, the governor of New York state signed a statewide $15 minimum wage plan.

Mayor Murray of Seattle signed minimum wage legislation which provides for increase in the minimum wage in the city of Seattle to $15/hr phased in over time, beginning April, 2015. Large employers will start to pay $15/hr. minimum wage by January  1, 2017.

The city council of Washington D.C. had unanimously voted to raise the minimum wage to $15/hr by 2020.

In April of 2016, Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation which will raise the minimum wage in California to $15/hr by 2022.

The current minimum wage in Australia is $CAD 16.28/hr.

The minimum wage in Alberta will rise to $15 by 2018.

In Toronto, minimum wage is still 61 per cent less than the hourly sum needed by a working family to scrape by, the research by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives shows.

And across the province, a full-time job at Ontario’s current minimum wage still leaves a worker around 20 per cent below the province’s low income measure — while in 1976, minimum wage brought workers just above it.

There is a misconception that only students work at minimum wage jobs. This is not true. According to study done by the Wellesley Institute, 40% of employees working at minimum wage were over 25 years old in 2011.

It is not right that somebody who works 40 hours a week has to live below the poverty line.

Andrea Horwath, the leader of the Ontario New Democrats has announced that she supports a $15 minimum wage in Ontario. On April 1, 2016, Andrea Horwath made a speech at the Broadbent Institute. In her speech, Andrea Horwath said:

“The time for talk is over. It’s time for Ontario to show leadership and will, and to make sure no one working full-time is stuck living below the poverty line. It’s time for a $15 minimum wage. And if the Liberal government won’t do it, then Ontarians will have an opportunity in two years to elect one that will.”

Premier Wynn, you have said “Social justice is what drives me; it’s why I’m here.” If you really care about social and economic justice, please raise the minimum wage in Ontario to $15/hr.