Regina council votes down living wage policy
Administration estimated move would have cost that city upward of $1.1 million
REGINA Councillors opted against sending a living wage report back for further study on Monday, before voting to bury the idea for the foreseeable future.
Administration had recommended against paying all city employees at least $16.95, as well as employees of service partners and contractors who do work on city premises.
All 1,800 full-time and part-time city employees earn that much already, but many casual and seasonal workers do not.
As he did during a similar debate at executive committee weeks ago, Coun. Andrew Stevens spoke on Monday in favour of paying a living wage.
He said he’d discussed the matter with a Vancouver city councillor and a human resources director from Port Coquitlam, two cities that have implemented the policy.
Stevens said the financial and staffing “catastrophe” envisioned by administration did not occur after those cities implemented a living wage. He said the HR director in Port Coquitlam found it was a “drop in the bucket.”
“Did it have an impact on taxes? Not at all,” Stevens said.
“Did it create discord among labour organizations or individual employees, as suggested in the report? Not a blip.”
He said there was even support for the policy at the vendor level in Port Coquitlam.
Only Couns. Jason Mancinelli, Joel Murray and Lori Bresciani lent their vote to Stevens when he tried to refer the matter back to administration for review. That failed 7-4. Council then voted 8-3 to endorse the administration report, killing the living wage proposal for the time being.
Administration had estimated the policy would cost the city upwards of $1.1 million — an amount that would require a 0.5-per-cent mill rate increase to raise through property taxes.
But Paul Gingrich of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives told councillors that number was too high, since it was based on a living wage estimate that didn’t take account of recent increases to federal transfers. He said the policy would be good for people, and good for the local economy.
“It’s probably not going to end poverty, but it will increase the incomes of low- and middle-income employees,” he said.
“Many of them have trouble meeting their daily needs.”
Mayor Michael Fougere said there had already been “passionate” and “eloquent” arguments for the living wage policy at executive committee.
But he reiterated on Monday that the city sets wages through collective bargaining. He also warned that a wage floor for contractors could affect procurement.
“The view I hold is that we would be in trouble if we begin to put a standard on companies that would be bidding on work in Regina,” he said.