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11/1/2009
Sunday marks eight years since B.C. last increased the minimum wage.
Minimum wage in this province has been the lowest in Canada since September 1st when New Brunswick increased its minimum wage to $8.25.
B.C. Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair says he simply doesn't buy the argument that an increase now will prompt more job losses, "We had the highest minimum wage in the country in 2001/2002. We didn't see a big dramatic drop in the number of people working. In fact, when you have people with money in their pockets, you're more likely to see businesses doing better."
The B.C. Chamber of Commerce says raising minimum wage is not a viable way to stimulate the economy.
The Federation of Labour is calling for an immediate increase to $10.00 an hour and annual increases indexed to the rate of inflation.
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