As workers get older and become eligible for more pay, they often lose their jobs. That means the overall wage floor is too high
During the recent Alberta election campaign, with the province’s unemployment rate remaining stubbornly high, the now-governing United Conservative Party proposed reducing the minimum wage from $15 to $13 for workers below the age of 18. And now the government has introduced legislation to make that change, along with changes to overtime pay requirements. The benefits…
There are still plenty of jobs at the low end of the pay scale. But wouldn't it be a better idea to simply upgrade your skills?
One day you head out to your favourite store and it isn’t there anymore. It could be a local specialty shop, part of a major chain or even a department store like Sears, whose stores and catalogues have been around seemingly forever. Retail outlets are disappearing all over, along with the jobs they provide. In…
Government intervention becomes necessary when goods and services are made too expensive as a result of wage hikes
Minimum wage hikes by provincial governments across Canada last year were sold as policy intended to make life easier for workers. However, advocates overlooked some of the negative of the policy. Now they’re prescribing yet more government interventions to remedy the problems caused by the wage hike. When the Ontario government hiked the minimum wage…
More than a third of Alberta’s restaurants are considering closing their doors, according to a Restaurants Canada survey. In a news release issued on Monday, the organization said the survey reveals the need for government policy changes to help foodservice operators recover from recent changes to provincial labour legislation. “When restaurants struggle, so do the…
Tax retooling, red tape elimination, WCB refund, labour law changes, minimum wage freeze among the proposals
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has released its Small Business Platform for the next Alberta government as a provincial election looms this spring. The organization is calling on all political parties to commit to implementing better policies to support entrepreneurs. “Too many entrepreneurs in Alberta are struggling to survive in a very difficult economy.…
The restaurant industry is mounting a new campaign to raise awareness about the tough challenges it faces in Alberta
The restaurant industry is mounting a new campaign to raise awareness about the tough challenges it faces in Alberta. “Since 2015, restaurants across Alberta have been battling a perfect storm of operational cost increases from a variety of policy changes, against the backdrop of a weakened economy,” said Mark von Schellwitz, Restaurants Canada vice-president for…
Economists believe that raising the price of low-skilled labour just eliminates many of those jobs
Raising the minimum wage is a popular policy among voters. But economists dispute the value of such a raise. Why the discrepancy? Recent polls from Ontario found strong support for the province’s minimum wage hike. And in the United States, a Pew Research poll in 2016 showed that by a margin of 52 per cent…
Shanna Munro of Restaurants Canada talks about the need to restore fairness to regulation impacting food services
Shanna Munro is president and CEO of Restaurants Canada (formerly CRFA). What’s the forecast for sales for the restaurant industry for the coming year? Munro: For years, Alberta sales growth led the nation, with many built-in advantages such as no sales tax. Over the past three years, however, Alberta trails the rest of Canada in…
Suzanne Sears of Best Retail Careers International specializes in social media recruitment that’s responsive and effective
Suzanne Sears is president of Best Retail Careers International. What do you do? Sears: I solve staffing problems for retailers. What is the biggest challenge facing retailers in finding staff? Sears: What retail leaders tell me most often is that they cannot find highly skilled staff willing to work at the prices they feel they’re…
‘This steep increase to labour costs is placing insurmountable pressure on many of the province’s food service operators’
Alberta’s restaurant industry has released a number of statistics showing the impact of an elevated minimum wage in the province that took effect on Monday. The wage rose to $15 per hour from $13.60. Restaurants Canada said the hike represents an escalation of nearly 50 per cent (63 per cent for liquor servers) over the…
During the recent Alberta election campaign, with the province’s unemployment rate remaining stubbornly high, the now-governing United Conservative Party proposed reducing the minimum wage from $15 to $13 for workers below the age of 18. And now the government has introduced legislation to make that change, along with changes to overtime pay requirements. The benefits…
