TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Aug. 12, 2013) - At a province-wide day of action on Wednesday August 14th, communities from around Ontario will call for a $14 minimum wage. Local groups will carry out creative actions on the 14th of every month until a minimum wage increase is announced.
Ontario's minimum wage has been frozen for 3 years, while the cost of living continues to rise. The Ontario government recently announced a minimum wage advisory panel to study a possible increase in the minimum wage. Advocates argue the minimum wage should bring workers and their families above the poverty line. That means Ontario's minimum wage should be $14 in 2013. A minimum wage increase is an investment in healthy communities and good jobs for workers in Ontario.
Creative actions are taking place in Toronto, Ottawa, Oshawa, Hamilton, Peterborough, Guelph, York Region, Windsor, Kitchener-Waterloo and Sudbury on August 14th and include Monopoly Street Theatre (Oshawa), a pop-up street party (Toronto) and a pots and pan rally (Ottawa).
Local actions on Wednesday August 14th and contacts:
| Oshawa: | Minimum Wage Monopoly Street Theatre: 2:00pm |
| Outside MPP Christine Elliott's office, 114 Dundas St. Whitby | |
| Jesse Cullen, jesse.m.cullen@gmail.com | |
| Ottawa: | Bring Your Pots and Pans! Raise the Minimum Wage Action: 2:00pm |
| Outside MPP Madeline Meuiller's office, 237 Montreal Rd., | |
| Jill O'Reilly, onacornot@acorncanada.org | |
| Toronto: | Minimum Wage Pop-up Street Party! 6:30pm |
| 29 St. Dennis Drive near Don Mills and Eglinton | |
| Sonia Singh, sonia@workersactioncentre.org | |
| Outreach drive: 4:45pm | |
| Meet at Weston Library, 2 King Street, Weston | |
| John Anderson, toronto@acorncanada.org, (778) 385-4385 | |
| Sudbury: | Outreach blitz: 12pm |
| Meet at Memorial Park, Sudbury | |
| Christy Knockleby, cknockleby@eastlink.ca | |
| Guelph: | Peter Miller, raise.the.wage.guelph@gmail.com |
| Hamilton: | Ahmad Al-Amad, alamad.1990@gmail.com |
| Kitchener-Waterloo: | Poverty Makes Us Sick: forspecialdiet@gmail.com |
| Peterborough: | Paul Brown, pbrown@uwpeterborough.ca |
| Windsor: | Paul Chislett, paul.chislett@gmail.com |
| York Region: | Launch of York Region Raise the Minimum Wage Campaign: 2:00pm |
| Inside 'Job' - Join us for Coffee at Tim Hortons, 11005 Yonge St., Richmond Hill | |
| Yvonne Kelly, yvonnek@yrfn.ca |
The Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage is coordinated by ACORN, Freedom 90, Mennonite New Life Centre, OCAP, Ontario Campaign 2000, Parkdale Community Legal Services, Put Food in the Budget, Social Planning Toronto, Toronto and York Region Labour Council and Workers' Action Centre.
Contact Information:
(416) 531-0778, ext. 221
Cell (647) 235-6912