[PinkLucy]

Sure people can choose where they live, but relocating isn’t always an option for a variety of reasons. A location “bonus” has a far different connotation than a regional minimum wage. Yes, it’s different from province to province but within the same province, I just can’t support it.

 

[afransen]

Nothing would stop TH franchisees from paying the same wage across the board. People in North Bay might be unhappy with $3 double doubles.

 

[PinkLucy]

Nothing would stop TH franchisees from paying the same wage across the board. People in North Bay might be unhappy with $3 double doubles.

They’d be paying it anyway because Tim’s would adjust prices across the board. And I can’t imagine Torontonians wanting to pay more for Tim’s either.

 

[W. K. Lis]

From link.

The minimum wage in New York City is $15.00 USD ($19.94 CAD) per hour. The New York State Department of Labor oversees wage regulations in New York State. Businesses employing people in New York State should be aware of wage requirements and regulations.​

​

After December 31, 2019, all employees in New York City must be paid at least $15.00 per hour. In Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties, it is $13.00 per hour. In the remainder of the state, it is $11.80 per hour. There are different hourly rates for workers in the fast food industry and those who receive tips. These rates remain in effect until December 30, 2020.​

 

[Northern Light]

They’d be paying it anyway because Tim’s would adjust prices across the board. And I can’t imagine Torontonians wanting to pay more for Tim’s either.

Fast Food prices are not standardized across the board now.

Not even in Toronto.

The differences are usually subtle; but you will see higher prices for fries at some McDs vs others.

There is a carefully calibrated machine; some items are standardized for purposes of national promotion.

But many aren't.

That's in part why you still see even some promo ads say 'at participating locations'.

 

[Northern Light]

Sure people can choose where they live, but relocating isn’t always an option for a variety of reasons. A location “bonus” has a far different connotation than a regional minimum wage. Yes, it’s different from province to province but within the same province, I just can’t support it.

An inability to move out of a high-cost area is an argument in favour of a higher minimum wage in said locale.

At least to me.

Regional minimum wages already exist throughout the U.S., not just at state level or in the New York example.

Seattle has a different minimum wage than the rest of Washington.

Oregon has three minimum wages Portland, Portland burbs, other large communities, rural.

 

[afransen]

They’d be paying it anyway because Tim’s would adjust prices across the board. And I can’t imagine Torontonians wanting to pay more for Tim’s either.

TH has regional pricing. And Torontonians would be paying more for their double doubles. That's the reality of min wage increases. It's not like the evil franchisee is making 50% margins. A huge portion of their operating cost is labour, and an increase in that would flow directly to the cost of the goods and services sold. We can all support $22 min wage but we will be paying for it in higher costs for groceries, cafes, restaurants, etc. That, and more self-serve/automation. Of course, this exacerbates the affordability issue.

 

[Johnny Au]

Fast Food prices are not standardized across the board now.

Not even in Toronto.

The differences are usually subtle; but you will see higher prices for fries at some McDs vs others.

There is a carefully calibrated machine; some items are standardized for purposes of national promotion.

But many aren't.

That's in part why you still see even some promo ads say 'at participating locations'.

There's a promotion for McDonald's Canada app users that has medium fries for $1 at participating McDonald's within Wal-Mart. McDonald's outside Wal-Mart don't have this promotion.

 

[AlbertC]

Ford government was warned in January about potential impact of COVID-19 in long-term care

Oct 5, 2020

Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government was urged to prepare the province’s long-term care homes for COVID-19 as early as January, three months before the government implemented an action plan to slow the spread of the virus.

The revelation came during testimony by the Ontario Long Term Care Association (OLTCA) to the commission of inquiry, which is investigating how the pandemic was able to ravage through the province’s nursing homes, taking more than 1,900 lives.

During the Sept. 30 appearance at the commission, OLTCA CEO Donna Duncan testified that her “first communication in writing” to the Ford government came around Jan. 25, after seeing news reports from European countries which were struggling to contain the virus.

“We were concerned about our readiness,” Duncan told the three-member panel led by Associate Chief Justice Frank Marrocco.

Duncan told the panel that long-term care homes were already “facing a perfect storm” as COVID-19 crept into Ontario thanks to chronic staffing shortages, at-capacity homes with four-bed rooms and funding cuts by the Ford government which led to in-facility pharmacies withdrawing their personnel.

------
On Apr. 15, Premier Doug Ford announced an action plan for the province’s 630 long-term care homes which focused on aggressive testing, outbreak management and ensuring homes were prioritized for personal protective equipment.

While the plan helped to immediately stabilize the situation in the hardest-hit homes, the damage to the province’s most vulnerable population had already been done.

“Out of all the deaths in long-term care to date … half of them occurred before April 15th,” Duncan told the commission. “Where we saw the worst of this, it really was in that period before the action plan.”

Ford government was warned in January about potential impact of COVID-19 in long-term care

Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government was urged to prepare the province’s long-term care homes for COVID-19 as early as January, three months before the government implemented an action plan to slow the spread of the virus.

toronto.ctvnews.ca

 

[zang]

Fast Food prices are not standardized across the board now.

Not even in Toronto.

The differences are usually subtle; but you will see higher prices for fries at some McDs vs others.

There is a carefully calibrated machine; some items are standardized for purposes of national promotion.

But many aren't.

That's in part why you still see even some promo ads say 'at participating locations'.

Indeed. Regional pricing is a real thing. It's why most restaurant chains don't put menu prices online, unless they have location-based menus. Some of this is done specifically to account for variances in average *customer* wage in an area. You're gonna make the same minimum wage working in a McD's in Timmins as a McD's in Toronto, but the clientele are likely to be making more.

Publicly, McDonald's chalks the prices up to "cost of operations" of some locations, but ignores that corporate themselves sets local prices and not the franchisees (95% of locations) who you'd think would have a better idea of what the operating costs are.

McDonald's corporate knows that people in Toronto on average have more disposable income and are willing to pay more. Pure capitalism at its best.

 

[Northern Light]

Ford government was warned in January about potential impact of COVID-19 in long-term care

Oct 5, 2020

Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government was urged to prepare the province’s long-term care homes for COVID-19 as early as January, three months before the government implemented an action plan to slow the spread of the virus.

The revelation came during testimony by the Ontario Long Term Care Association (OLTCA) to the commission of inquiry, which is investigating how the pandemic was able to ravage through the province’s nursing homes, taking more than 1,900 lives.

During the Sept. 30 appearance at the commission, OLTCA CEO Donna Duncan testified that her “first communication in writing” to the Ford government came around Jan. 25, after seeing news reports from European countries which were struggling to contain the virus.

“We were concerned about our readiness,” Duncan told the three-member panel led by Associate Chief Justice Frank Marrocco.

Duncan told the panel that long-term care homes were already “facing a perfect storm” as COVID-19 crept into Ontario thanks to chronic staffing shortages, at-capacity homes with four-bed rooms and funding cuts by the Ford government which led to in-facility pharmacies withdrawing their personnel.

------
On Apr. 15, Premier Doug Ford announced an action plan for the province’s 630 long-term care homes which focused on aggressive testing, outbreak management and ensuring homes were prioritized for personal protective equipment.

While the plan helped to immediately stabilize the situation in the hardest-hit homes, the damage to the province’s most vulnerable population had already been done.

“Out of all the deaths in long-term care to date … half of them occurred before April 15th,” Duncan told the commission. “Where we saw the worst of this, it really was in that period before the action plan.”

Ford government was warned in January about potential impact of COVID-19 in long-term care

Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government was urged to prepare the province’s long-term care homes for COVID-19 as early as January, three months before the government implemented an action plan to slow the spread of the virus.

toronto.ctvnews.ca

Not the least bit surprised, but no less disgusted.

Many of the early actions could have been taken at fairly low cost (moving to FT, one-facility only staffing) didn't require more people and not much more money.

Likewise, capping new admissions to rooms with greater than 2 beds could have been done as well, albeit with some impact on hospitals.

There is no doubt the response here was half-assed and far too slow.

There is no doubt that was a choice, and that it cost many lives.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Ford government was warned in January about potential impact of COVID-19 in long-term care

Oct 5, 2020

Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government was urged to prepare the province’s long-term care homes for COVID-19 as early as January, three months before the government implemented an action plan to slow the spread of the virus.

The revelation came during testimony by the Ontario Long Term Care Association (OLTCA) to the commission of inquiry, which is investigating how the pandemic was able to ravage through the province’s nursing homes, taking more than 1,900 lives.

During the Sept. 30 appearance at the commission, OLTCA CEO Donna Duncan testified that her “first communication in writing” to the Ford government came around Jan. 25, after seeing news reports from European countries which were struggling to contain the virus.

“We were concerned about our readiness,” Duncan told the three-member panel led by Associate Chief Justice Frank Marrocco.

Duncan told the panel that long-term care homes were already “facing a perfect storm” as COVID-19 crept into Ontario thanks to chronic staffing shortages, at-capacity homes with four-bed rooms and funding cuts by the Ford government which led to in-facility pharmacies withdrawing their personnel.

------
On Apr. 15, Premier Doug Ford announced an action plan for the province’s 630 long-term care homes which focused on aggressive testing, outbreak management and ensuring homes were prioritized for personal protective equipment.

While the plan helped to immediately stabilize the situation in the hardest-hit homes, the damage to the province’s most vulnerable population had already been done.

“Out of all the deaths in long-term care to date … half of them occurred before April 15th,” Duncan told the commission. “Where we saw the worst of this, it really was in that period before the action plan.”

Ford government was warned in January about potential impact of COVID-19 in long-term care

Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government was urged to prepare the province’s long-term care homes for COVID-19 as early as January, three months before the government implemented an action plan to slow the spread of the virus.

toronto.ctvnews.ca

They shouldn't need a message from an external org to know - I don't believe the MoHLTC is so starved of expertise to know or predict that their system is not up to par and it will result in mass deaths. The delayed action till mid-April is just unconscionable.

AoD

 

[zang]

They shouldn't need a message from an external org to know - I don't believe the MoHLTC is so starved of expertise to know or predict that their system is not put to par and it will result in mass deaths. The delayed action till mid-April is just unconscionable.

AoD

I'm sure Ford was just following the guidance of family friend/mentor/campaign advisor, former-premier-now-board-chairman-of-for-profit-LTC-company-Chartwell Mike Harris on this one...

 

[Johnny Au]

Indeed. Regional pricing is a real thing. It's why most restaurant chains don't put menu prices online, unless they have location-based menus. Some of this is done specifically to account for variances in average *customer* wage in an area. You're gonna make the same minimum wage working in a McD's in Timmins as a McD's in Toronto, but the clientele are likely to be making more.

Publicly, McDonald's chalks the prices up to "cost of operations" of some locations, but ignores that corporate themselves sets local prices and not the franchisees (95% of locations) who you'd think would have a better idea of what the operating costs are.

McDonald's corporate knows that people in Toronto on average have more disposable income and are willing to pay more. Pure capitalism at its best.

The American Bureau of Labor once said that a Big Mac in Midtown Manhattan is more expensive than a Big Mac in the Nebraska countryside.

Expenditures of urban and rural households in 2011 : Beyond the Numbers: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

The United States is a nation of great diversity. Large houses and big red barns are found on the open farmlands of the Midwest while apartments and coffee shops occupy the corners of busy city streets. The varying landscapes shape the lives, customs, and spending habits of Americans.

www.bls.gov

 

[zang]

The American Bureau of Labor once said that a Big Mac in Midtown Manhattan is more expensive than a Big Mac in the Nebraska countryside.

Expenditures of urban and rural households in 2011 : Beyond the Numbers: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

The United States is a nation of great diversity. Large houses and big red barns are found on the open farmlands of the Midwest while apartments and coffee shops occupy the corners of busy city streets. The varying landscapes shape the lives, customs, and spending habits of Americans.

www.bls.gov

There is literally a "Big Mac Index". (but it's international, rather than regional)

The Big Mac index

Our interactive currency comparison tool

www.economist.com