The Editor,
Re. “PoCo ctte. gives initial OK to living wage policy” (The Tri-City News, Dec. 9).
I was very pleased to read about Port Coquitlam’s pending adoption of a living wage policy.
Rising income inequality has had some very negative effects on our society. It’s a fact that once inflation accounted for, many Canadian earn less today than they did 20-plus years ago. If Canada is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, this is a bad thing.
The living wage is defined simply as “the hourly wage that two working parents with two young children must earn to meet their basic expenses, once government taxes, credits, deductions and subsidies have been taken into account.” Certainly, nobody will get rich earning $19.75 per hour.
I hope we start to see other municipalities and, more importantly, businesses adopt similar policies. It’s upsetting that government needs to regulate ethical wages. But it’s time — this needs to be done.
Chris Carter, Port Moody
