It’s interesting that Post Media has chosen to present the minimum wage increases as a net negative without looking at what happens.

Each time there has been an increase in the minimum wage there are predictions of calamity. In British Columbia, between May 1, 2011, and May 1, 2012, minimum wage was increased from $8 to $10.25, a 27% increase. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business predicted job losses of between 249,210 and 867,510.  The Frasier Institute predicted a 20% increase in youth unemployment. BC’s unemployment rate went from 7.5% to 6.8% throughout that period; youth unemployment increased 1.6%. Where was the jobs apocalypse? Where were the hundreds of thousands of jobs’ lost? They did not materialize.

The CFIB again predicted doom in Alberta with losses estimated at between 50,290 and 183,300, a substantially lower prediction than BC.  In October 2017 Alberta’s minimum wage increased $1.40 from $12.20 to $13.60. Alberta’s unemployment rate was 7.8%. It now sits at 6.9%. There is no causal link between increases in minimum wage and employment in the economy. If there was, why didn’t it manifest itself in the Alberta and British Columbia employment rates?

With Ontario increasing its minimum wage, the predictions of doom have returned. Now the estimate is Canada will lose up to 60,000 jobs because of increases in minimum wage, a substantially lower figure than previous estimates.  This script is familiar despite evidence to the contrary.