Minimum Wage in Ontario
In a surprise turn of events, the conservative government announced that the minimum wage in Ontario will be rising to $15 an hour come January. This policy would potentially give liquor servers a historic 19.5% wage increase and yet it comes 3 years after it was first proposed by the liberal party. Is it too little too late? In this episode, we discuss the new minimum wage with Craig PickThorne of the Living Wage Network of Ontario, Julie Kwiecinski of the Canadian Federation for Independent Businesses, and Dr. Darius Ornston of the Munk School of Global Affairs, to understand how this increase will impact workers and businesses while evaluating why this raise may look important to some and underwhelming to others.
Guests:
Craig Pickthorne is the Communications Coordinator at the Ontario Living Wage Network. He is one of two staff at the OLWN, and is responsible for maintaining the website, database, and social media accounts. Craig also works with dozens of local organizers across Ontario to field media inquiries and government deputations. He has a background in live event production and digital media creation, and enjoys putting those skills to work in his current role within the living wage movement.
Julie Kweicinski is the CFIB’s Director of Provincial Affairs for Ontario. She focuses on determining the organization’s Ontario legislative and communications strategies and priorities, including CFIB’s Ontario COVID-19 strategy, based on member feedback. Kweicinski has worked for Ontario’s recycling regulator as Communications Advisor, and for the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police as Events Manager and Communications & Government Relations Advisor. She served as Communications Director and Senior Legislative Advisor to the Leader of the Official Opposition. In government, she worked in the Premier’s Office and served two Cabinet Ministers as Communications Advisor.
Dr. Darius Ornston is an Associate Professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto, where he specializes in the politics of cooperation and change. An expert in Nordic innovation policy, Dr. Ornston has also written two books, When Small States Make Big Leaps and Good Governance Gone Bad. Since moving to Canada, his research has focused on Canadian cities, including their resilience to anchor firm collapse and the role of storytelling as a form of collective action. His research on the causes and consequences of cooperation has been published by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the OECD, Economic Geography and Comparative Political Studies. At the Munk School, he teaches comparative politics of the welfare state.
Produced by:
Anna Lazaris - Junior Producer
Mycala Gill - Executive Producer
