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D E ATH VA L L E Y ' S L I T T L E B RO TH E R One of 450 reasons to choose local. www.uptownwaterloobia.com 10 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • Thursday, May 25, 2017 Friendly Professional Team... where your total health is our goal! • Free Blood Glucose Monitor & Teaching • Free Blood Pressure Check • Compounding hours: Mon.-Fri. 9am-7pm • Sat. 9am-4pm 519-747-0320 373 Bridge St. Waterloo www.thpharmacy.com 465 CONESTOGO RD., WATERLOO • www.kwhonda.com • 519-746-7900om • 519-746-7900 For a limited time make hardwork easier with dependable power! LAWN & GARDEN EQUIPMENT FROM PLUS FREIGHT & P.D.I. HHT25SL INTRODUCING Honda Multi-Attachment System HondaHonda Multi-Attachmennt SystemmMulti-Attachmennt Systemm LAWN & GARDEN EQUIPMENT FROM PLUS FREIGHT By Lisa Rutledge For the Chronicle Local anti-poverty groups working to protect vul-nerable part-time work- ers are applauding Liberal provincial government efforts to reform labour laws, includ- ing a plan to increase the min- imum wage to $15 per hour. Labour reform changes cur- rently being debated in Queen's Park follow a two-year study, known as Changing Workplace, which reviewed employment issues, including wages paid, sick time, vacation time and job security. The review also looked at employers who contribute to precarious employment sce- narios by relying too heavily on temp agencies. Linda Terry, executive direc- tor at social Planning Council of Cambridge and North dum- fries, praised the labour reform proposals, particularly plans to bump the minimum wage to $15 per hour, up from $11.60. "It's central in lifting workers out of poverty," said Terry, add- ing it's a good start. The proposed rate is still lower than the $15.42 per hour wage set by Living Wage Water- loo region, an anti-poverty organization which calculates the wage an average family liv- ing in the region would need to not only survive, but thrive. Currently 40 companies in the region have signed up as liv- ing wage employers. arguments over minimum wage bumps have been around for a long time, noted Terry, but she insists it's time for changes that favour workers who remain vulnerable to unscrupulous employers. "I know there's a lot of push back about it, but there's also a push back against low wages and precarious work." a third of part-time work- ers want but can't find full-time jobs, explained Terry. They're patching part-time jobs together and still struggle to make ends meet, she added. "That's pretty frustrating because you're running around from one job to another." Chamber of Commerce organizations throughout Ontario, including the Cam- bridge chamber, were quick to express serious concerns with the government's proposals for labour reform. They penned a joint letter to Premier Kathleen Wynne. The organizations argue reforms may "have unintended consequences impacting job creation and competitiveness." The proposed changes are ill-timed, contend the chamber organizations, as they come at a time when the cost of doing business is high, and when con- sumers won't support increased costs. They also argue three-quar- ters of part-time workers choose to work part-time because of the flexibility it offers. "There is no question about it, this is all politics and not evidence-based," stated Greg durocher, president of the Cambridge chamber in a news release. "It is incumbent on gov- ernment to demonstrate that the current economic conditions with the business sector can sus- tain these changes." durocher stated the cham- ber's 1,900 members see the changes as "totally unsustain- able" and maintains people will lose jobs, benefits and busi- nesses will no longer be able to donate to local charities. Cambridge and North dum- fries MPP Kathryn McGarry said it was time for the government to take another look at Ontario's labour laws to ensure fairness for all. " ... unfortunately, there are some workers who are being left behind," she said. Labour law changes draw reaction