Every single one of us knows the moment we’re in, all too well. The cost of living is skyrocketing and our wages simply aren’t keeping up. We know it because it’s splashed on the front pages of every major newspaper. Because more and more workers are visiting food banks. Because our neighbours can’t pay rent. Because people, including members of CUPE Ontario, are taking on more shifts and finding second, or even third, jobs to make ends meet.
This isn’t sustainable and we all know it. On this International Day for the Eradication of Poverty let’s remember that our many campaigns and projects are tied together by the simple principle that people need to not only be able to survive but to thrive.
We call on the Ford Conservatives to Repeal Bill 124 with that principle in mind. We call on the government to double ODSP and raise OW. We call on the government to significantly raise the minimum wage from a paltry $15.50 to at least $20/hr. We call on the government to build truly affordable housing in every community. And we call on the Ford Conservatives to listen to the call by CUPE’s Ontario School Boards Council of Unions (OSBCU) for a $3.25/hr raise for every single member across the province.
Like OSBCU says, these proposals are reasonable, necessary, and affordable. They can become reality. We can marshal the resources to make life in Ontario affordable.
Just take a look at soaring corporate profits. Greedflation, as the Federal NDP calls it, is real. Corporations are using historic inflation as an opportunity to raise wages far more than their rising costs demand. We should tackle that immediately with a suite of tax increases on corporations and on wealth. Doing so would play a significant role in paying for the Ontario we need.
It’s long past time to act. Let’s eradicate poverty in this province and everywhere once and for all.
