Minimum wages

[JonB2004]

Why does the richest province in Canada have one of the lowest minimum wages in Canada?

Alberta's minimum wage is a measly $7.00. But the poorest province in Canada, Nunavut, has the highest minimum wage, $8.50.

Check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_wages_in_Canada

I think that there should be only one minimum wage which applies for every province in Canada.

What's your opinion?

 

[Finder]

Don't blame us, we don't vote for R. Klien.

 

[#juan]

Just a thought, but maybe the cost of living is higher in Nunivut.

 

[Finder]

supposedly the demand for labour is high there too. My friend was talking about moving there. But I hear in many places in Alberta they have a extremely high demand for labour with the oil town boom.

 

[FiveParadox]

Since the taxes and costs of living for each Province of Canada could vastly differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, I think that it is quite appropriate, as we do now, for minimum wages to be determined by each jurisdiction independently of the Government of Canada. Establishing a uniform minimum wage might cause some Provinces' minimum wages to be insufficient given their particular circumstances.

 

[Finder]

not to mention it would peave R. Kliens corperate friends.

 

[LittleRunningGag]

Just a thought, but maybe the cost of living is higher in Nunivut.

It is in Alberta too.

not to mention it would peave R. Kliens corperate friends. Very Happy

Didn't you know? 12 year olds can now legally work in Alberta, I think that it was a trade off. They just recently raised (thats right raised) the minimum wage to what it is now. In trade, corporations got 12 year olds to work the jobs that snobby highschoolers don't want. :roll:

 

[annabattler]

Since outfits like Tim Horton's and Zellers are paying high school students fifteen dollars an hour in Alberta,you'd have to think there is a labour shortage.
However,cost of housing is out of sight there,too...a distant relative and his girlfriend were wanting to move and work there...BUT the cost of a single room is $800.00 month,and they were told the cost for two,SHARING the room,would double.

 

[Finder]

annabattler, cost of living is just as bad in Toronto. I still can't afford a house in the city as they ran on the cheap end around 300,000 and thats for a sh*t box. For anything liveable or even slightly middle class like you are looking to pay over half a million. Even out side the city in the GTA you are still looking at 300,000-400,000 for a middle class home.

edit: and thats the low end

 

[LittleRunningGag]

Re: RE: Minimum wages

Since outfits like Tim Horton's and Zellers are paying high school students fifteen dollars an hour in Alberta,you'd have to think there is a labour shortage.
However,cost of housing is out of sight there,too...a distant relative and his girlfriend were wanting to move and work there...BUT the cost of a single room is $800.00 month,and they were told the cost for two,SHARING the room,would double.

One of the guys I used to work with took an internship out in Fort Mac last summer. He paid $600 a month for a single bed. When he asked to use the fridge, he was told that was extra. I hear now that $600 is the going rate for couches.

It is not the same everywhere in Alberta, but its close. And no one is being paid minimum wage. Any employer trying to pay minimum wage will soon find themselves without staff. Although, fifteen an hour for Tims and Zellers is, again, not everywhere in Alberta, thats just up north. Around here, the wages are around ten an hour.

 

[athabaska]

Here in Calgary we offer $15/ hour for as many hours a worker wants ...7 days a week. We can't get warm bodies. We can't compete with unskilled laborers moving into Construction for $18/hour and into the oilpatch for $21/hour plus per diem field allowance.

Here's what our local Safeway suppermarket has on it's sign: 'all positions open in all departments for all shifts. Full or part time: your choice.' They are paying $12/hour to start with a dollar an hour bonus if you stay 6 months.

We take calls everyday from friends looking for workers. There aren't any.

Minimum wage is irrelevent. It doesn't matter if it's $8/hour or $18/ hour in Newfoundland it there are no jobs. It doesn't mater if it's $7 or $15 and hour in Alberta as anybody with a pulse could earn the latter and get 50 jobs a day at $15.

 

[athabaska]

"It is not the same everywhere in Alberta (F. Mac), but its close.

No it isn't. It's nothing like that in 95% of the province. We have a second house'in suburbia' we rent out in Calgary for $950/month. It's quite large with 3 bathrooms and 3 bedrooms. We live outselves in the inner city and although houses start around 500 thousand, they rent out at quite reasonable rents. (I think) less than in Vancouver or Toronto. Usually about 800/month for the top half of a 3 bedroom bungalow and 500 to 600 for the finished, self-contained basement suite. tat's inner city. Just beyond inner city about 900/month for a 2 bedroom apartment or condo rental.

 

[athabaska]

Ha! Ha!

I was just listening to a British comic on CBC. He was commenting on how expensive it is to drive and park in London. Parking is over $10/hour at a meter. He said workers at a downtown London McDonlads can look out the window and see a parking meter making more an hour than they are.

 

[LittleRunningGag]

"It is not the same everywhere in Alberta (F. Mac), but its close.

No it isn't. It's nothing like that in 95% of the province. We have a second house'in suburbia' we rent out in Calgary for $950/month. It's quite large with 3 bathrooms and 3 bedrooms. We live outselves in the inner city and although houses start around 500 thousand, they rent out at quite reasonable rents. (I think) less than in Vancouver or Toronto. Usually about 800/month for the top half of a 3 bedroom bungalow and 500 to 600 for the finished, self-contained basement suite. tat's inner city. Just beyond inner city about 900/month for a 2 bedroom apartment or condo rental.

I would tend to disagree. From what I saw late last year, when we were looking for housing, $600 was the bottom end. And its getting more and more expensive.

 

[Said1]

Just a thought, but maybe the cost of living is higher in Nunivut.

It is in Alberta too.

not to mention it would peave R. Kliens corperate friends. Very Happy

Didn't you know? 12 year olds can now legally work in Alberta, I think that it was a trade off. They just recently raised (thats right raised) the minimum wage to what it is now. In trade, corporations got 12 year olds to work the jobs that snobby highschoolers don't want. :roll:

Isn't there a different wage for students on those under a certain age, there is here in Ontario.

 

[tracy]

I pay $1100 USD for a one bedroom apartment (and minimum wage here is under $10). $600 is pretty cheap if you ask me. I don't understand people complaining about minimum wage really. If it isn't enough, then you need to do something to get a job that pays more.

 

[LittleRunningGag]

Re: RE: Minimum wages

I pay $1100 USD for a one bedroom apartment (and minimum wage here is under $10). $600 is pretty cheap if you ask me.

And you live in California. There are some benefits you are overlooking. The only reason the cost of living in Calgary is going up is because of the price of oil. We don't have the benefit of living in a beautiful climate.

The reason I'm choaked is that I've lived here for close to twenty years, and, while I'm in the middle of my schooling, all of a sudden the price of oil skyrockets and, with that, the cost of living jumps. So now I'm looking at a hundred and fifty dollar rent hike on one of the few basement suites that were available in my price range, which I only aquired late last year.

Did I mention that I live underneith a day home? I hate those damn kids.

I don't understand people complaining about minimum wage really. If it isn't enough, then you need to do something to get a job that pays more.

Lazy pricks, eh? Who cares if they are students attempting to scrape by enough to pay their living expenses so that they can improve their fortunes. They should just figure out a way to improve their situation right now.

 

[athabaska]

"It is not the same everywhere in Alberta (F. Mac), but its close.

No it isn't. It's nothing like that in 95% of the province. We have a second house'in suburbia' we rent out in Calgary for $950/month. It's quite large with 3 bathrooms and 3 bedrooms. We live outselves in the inner city and although houses start around 500 thousand, they rent out at quite reasonable rents. (I think) less than in Vancouver or Toronto. Usually about 800/month for the top half of a 3 bedroom bungalow and 500 to 600 for the finished, self-contained basement suite. tat's inner city. Just beyond inner city about 900/month for a 2 bedroom apartment or condo rental.

I would tend to disagree. From what I saw late last year, when we were looking for housing, $600 was the bottom end. And its getting more and more expensive.

Then you didn't look very hard. $600 will get you a lot more than a bed in Calgary or Edmonton and have to pay fridge rental on top of that. It'll get you more everywhere in the province outside of Fort Mac. Perhaps a course in personal financial mangement would help you.

One of the reasons we live in Alberta is because it's relatively inexpensive. No sales tax, low provincial income tax, Ralph bucks, energy rebates and so on. Even a case of the beer we drink is 9.99 at OK Liquor and if we cross into BC, the cheapest beer is around 12.50 for a dozen. The difference between Alberta's money in the bank and the average provincial debt is $1100 per capita in interest even before the money starts flowing. And, that gap will keep getting wider.

 

[I think not]

This minimum wage topic pisses me off, because it should be raised. North American minimum wages are way too low. Bottom line should have been $9 or thereabouts. It's just ridiculous.

 

[tracy]

Re: RE: Minimum wages

I pay $1100 USD for a one bedroom apartment (and minimum wage here is under $10). $600 is pretty cheap if you ask me.

And you live in California. There are some benefits you are overlooking. The only reason the cost of living in Calgary is going up is because of the price of oil. We don't have the benefit of living in a beautiful climate.

The reason I'm choaked is that I've lived here for close to twenty years, and, while I'm in the middle of my schooling, all of a sudden the price of oil skyrockets and, with that, the cost of living jumps. So now I'm looking at a hundred and fifty dollar rent hike on one of the few basement suites that were available in my price range, which I only aquired late last year.

Did I mention that I live underneith a day home? I hate those damn kids.

I don't understand people complaining about minimum wage really. If it isn't enough, then you need to do something to get a job that pays more.

Lazy pricks, eh? Who cares if they are students attempting to scrape by enough to pay their living expenses so that they can improve their fortunes. They should just figure out a way to improve their situation right now.

Trust me, we're all hurting from the price of oil going up. I've seen my gas bill go from about $20 a week to over $150 thanks to taking a job further away and the increase in gas prices. My rent will go up in June when my lease is up... and I have the loud kids bugging me too (I'm a night shift worker and could kill my neighbour's kids some days).

Really, the student complaints don't get to me much and not once did I call anyone a lazy prick, now did I? Sorry... I've been there, done that. Students in Canada have it REALLY good compared to students down here thanks to much cheaper tuition and there are a lot of loans there to help with living expenses (I just paid mine off this year). Then when you finish school, you don't have to worry about working for minimum wage anymore.