Wynne Whines

Ontario’s Premier Wynne thinks that some Tim Horton locations are “bullying” their employees in their handling of the costs associated with the increase to the minimum wage. It is interesting to note that the State of Michigan also raised minimum wage on Jan. 1^st from $8.90 US to $9.25 US, the latter being approx. $11.20 CAN. As the new Ontario minimum wage of $14 may represent a significant expense for those businesses with a limited profit margin, it is not unreasonable to think that some employers would look to lowering their overhead costs.

Perhaps Premier Wynne is being somewhat naïve to think that all employers would simply absorb or pass along the higher than usual pay increase to the consumer. There’s only so much a business can charge for their product or service before the customer looks elsewhere to take their business. As businesses may not always share the same priorities as politicians, decisions made without some form of a prior collaborative agreement are bound to create a certain amount of issues.  Considering the looming election, the premier’s expected ‘Reaction-101’ should not come as a surprise.