​Local Manufacturer – “I’ve just won a contract to supply another local company with my product. This is a major order that will require an expansion of my businesses, including hiring more people. At $15/hr, I am no longer competitive and will have to walk away from the work and the expansion. I thought hydro rates, now my largest business expense, was hard enough to deal with. This is impossible.”

Local Tech Company – “Layoffs likely and price increases for sure”

​Local Not For Profit with 35 employees during the Summer – “Our labour costs just went up 30%! We will use a combination of hiring fewer people, shortening shifts and increasing prices to adapt. Unfortunately, hiring fewer students for the summer will be the first move”
​

Local Retailer – “Increasing Minimum wage to $15 will affect our entire pay scale. An employee currently making $15 an hour has earned it through experience, training and proving themselves. They certainly won’t be happy making the same money as en entry-level employee. Our costs will increase approximately 8% and while we can increase prices over time, it has to match our competitors, so our only tool in the short term is an equal reduction in the number of hours.”

​Local Retailer – “Increasing Minimum wage to $15 will affect our entire pay scale. An employee currently making $15 an hour has earned it through experience, training and proving themselves. They certainly won’t be happy making the same money as en entry-level employee. Our costs will increase approximately 8% and while we can increase prices over time, it has to match our competitors, so our only tool in the short term is an equal reduction in the number of hours.”

​Local Retailer – “Increasing Minimum wage to $15 will affect our entire pay scale. An employee currently making $15 an hour has earned it through experience, training and proving themselves. They certainly won’t be happy making the same money as en entry-level employee. Our costs will increase approximately 8% and while we can increase prices over time, it has to match our competitors, so our only tool in the short term is an equal reduction in the number of hours.”

​Local Restaurant – “At $14/hr payroll increases by $70k, at $15/hr an additional $23k… I see hiring fewer people, increasing prices, phasing out employee benefits such as group benefits, free uniforms, free meals, etc. This is the most devastating cost to hit the hospitality industry – ever…”

Local Retailer – “At this point we have estimated that this increase will cost us upwards of $50,000.00 a year. Where is that coming from, profit, that is used to scale our business, and for the creators/the risk takers to feed our families.”

Local Multi-Business Owner – “We have always operated our businesses with a view to a one, three, and five year strategic plan, uncertainty about general economic conditions, makes planning difficult at best. The proposed changes were not on anyone's radar 12 months ago so we are left re-evaluating our plans. We had planned a fairly major expansion to begin in the next 6-12 months, those plans are now on hold and possibly cancelled. We will in all likelihood be forced to freeze hiring and possibly implement some layoffs, hopefully these will not be permanent in nature. We are in a competitive sector but we will, like our competition, be forced to pass along increased costs to our customers where possible. Some of our business ventures are price regulated, so we are vulnerable here to the decisions of the regulators.”

Local Property Management Group – “We may need to look at price increases across the board, but for our residential properties it will be more costly housing as we increase the market rent of our units as they turn over; ultimately a cycle – we have to increase housing amounts accordingly and those making the new minimum wage still may not be able to afford the accommodations and, it will ultimately affect anyone on a fixed income. In any event, I expect many of our expenses would increase as the increase in minimum wage will also affect their business and they in turn will pass that cost along to us.”