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Ontario’s Minimum Wage Gamble

To say Ontario’s minimum wage hike is a polarizing issue would be an understatement. Making matters more complicated is the unprecedented size of the increase, which could lead to unpredictable outcomes.
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Ontario’s Minimum Wage Gamble
Ontario Federation of Labour members protest outside a Tim Hortons franchise in Toronto on Jan. 10. Labour organizations across Ontario held rallies on Jan. 10 to protest the cuts in benefits some Tim Hortons franchises have taken in response to an increase in the province’s minimum wage. The Canadian Press/Chris Young
Rahul Vaidyanath
Updated:

To say Ontario’s minimum wage hike is a polarizing issue would be an understatement. Making matters more complicated is the unprecedented size of the increase, which could lead to unpredictable outcomes.

It’s a classic economics problem, and yet economists are divided on what the right policy should be, let alone businesses and workers who actually have skin in the game. So when Ontario jacked up the minimum hourly wage to $14 from $11.60 at the start of 2018—a 20.7 percent increase—it was bound to cause immediate chaos.
Rahul Vaidyanath
Rahul Vaidyanath
Journalist
Rahul Vaidyanath is a journalist with The Epoch Times in Ottawa. His areas of expertise include the economy, financial markets, China, and national defence and security. He has worked for the Bank of Canada, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., and investment banks in Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles.
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