New Westminster Record: First in the nation
- Details
- Category: New Westminster Living Wage
- Published on Monday, 26 April 2010 15:00
April 30th, 2010 by Theresa Mcmanus - New Westminster's The Record
The City of New Westminster is taking action to become the first Canadian municipality to adopt a living wage policy.
A living wage is often defined as being the minimum hourly wage that's necessary for a family of four, with two parents working full-time, to pay for food, shelter and other daily needs. City council voted unanimously to establish a living wage policy.
"I am very pleased," said Coun. Jaimie McEvoy, who encouraged council to adopt a living wage policy.
McEvoy said the policy would apply not just to unionized city employees but to people who work at city properties on a contract basis. This includes people working in security at the library and the cafeteria at city hall.
While the city doesn't yet know exactly how many people the policy will affect, McEvoy said it won't bankrupt the city.
"We still have work to do to clearly identify those who are involved and the potential costs," he said. "The finality of the details still needs to be worked on. We have made a decision in principle that this is our principle and our goal.
"At this point, we don't know for sure how many people it will affect," he said.
McEvoy said New Westminster is a small city of 66,000 people so the policy has to be something that's manageable and is something that people can understand.
Coun. Jonathan Cote said the city's unionized workers already make more than a living wage.
"There's not a lot. There's a few," he said about people who work on contract at city facilities and would be impacted by the policy. "It's not a significant number."
Coun. Bill Harper said there's a huge movement in Europe and the United States to support living wages, and it's now starting to come to Canada.
"It's a message to other private and public employees that there is a real advantage to them as employees, and to the people who are in poverty and having difficulty making ends meet," he said.
McEvoy noted that Greater Vancouver is one of the most expensive places in Canada to live. He said one-half of the city's residents are renters, and many are struggling to meet their daily needs.
"Kids who are poor aren't in charge of their own situations," he said. "One-half of the kids who live below the poverty line have one parent who works full-time."
In recent months, several residents have appeared before city council asking the city to support a living wage policy. ACORN Canada - the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now - has also urged the city to take a leadership role and adopt a living wage policy, and it held a forum that was attended by about 80 people.
According to ACORN, Canadian cities considering living wage policies include Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Waterloo and London. The group says a living wage policy brings benefits, including workers spending more money locally and businesses having less turnover and more productivity.
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Original article at: http://www2.canada.com/newwestrecord/story.html?id=386c3d03-f8fd-467e-bc83-25a23d3dfa6c
