B.C.'s NDP leader, John Horgan, was cautious on specifying a minimum wage figure for the province's low-income workers at a recent Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce luncheon - and so he should be.
It's too early for Horgan to come out swinging against small businesses at a time when he needs to expand his reach and appeal to a larger base not anger people.
That's not to say that the $10.45 minimum wage that was announced last week, along with future hikes tied to the Consumer Price Index, is the best that can be done for B.C.'s workers, of which there are approximately 100, 400, mostly in the service sector. Indeed, a 20-cent-an-hour hike is laughable but so, some believe, is the $15 an hour wage the BC Federation is promoting.
There must be a comfortable middle ground that would work for businesses, employees and the economy. When times are good, most companies tend to pay higher than minimum wage anyway.
