CFIB launches petition to stop minimum wage increase

by Morinville News Staff

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has launched an online petition to stop the minimum wage hike recently passed by Alberta’s NDP government. The petition looks to capture Alberta independent business owners’ reaction to the government’s plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2018.

The first step of the NDP plan will see the general minimum wage rise from $10.20 to $11.20 Oct. 1, and the liquor server general wage climbing from $9.20 to $10.70 per hour on the same date.

“Since the changes have been announced to Alberta’s minimum wage, a flood of frustration has been pouring into our offices,” said Amber Ruddy, CFIB’s Senior Policy Analyst, in a release July 15. “The new government must hear the firsthand perspective from business owners about the negative impact this policy will have.”

CFIB ran a controlled-access web survey in June and received 973 responses from across the province, most of those opposing the increases. According to CFIB’s survey, 79 per cent of business polled were opposed to the idea of increasing the minimum wage from $10.20 to $15 by 2018. Twenty-one per cent said they were supportive of the increase.

Ruddy said the province’s MLAs should be using their summer break to reach out to small business owners in their constituencies. “The first big bump in the minimum wage hits this fall and two short days of consultation simply doesn’t cut it,” Ruddy said. “Entrepreneurs are worked up and want elected officials to show some sign they are listening.”

In addition to releasing a petition to stop the increases, CFIB is also offering to facilitate roundtables with business owners in the province’s major centres. The business organization said business owners have offered to share their perspective and insights with the new government.

The CFIB petition can be found online at

http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/7435-15-min-wage-impact-on-independent-business.html.

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