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6 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday February 27, 2009 www.oakvillebeaver.com OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager Minimum wage hike ill-timed Perhaps no segment of the business world has felt the effects of the economic downturn more than the small-to-medium business sector-- the group which makes up half the Canadian economy. While banks and automakers have grabbed most of the headlines, small-tomedium-sized businesses in Ontario are bracing to absorb a financial hit at the end of March when the minimum wage rises 75 cents to $9.50 per hour. The increase is part of the Liberal government's 2007 budget in which measures were introduced to hike the minimum wage past $10 per hour by 2010. In hindsight, this move now appears illtimed. Certainly, no one is suggesting those working for minimum wage should bear the burden for the current economic crisis. However, there are good reasons the Liberals would be wise in delaying the implementation of this pay hike. Small businesses are not receiving any government bailout cash, so business owners must find ways to cap costs and/or cut expenses-- increasing wages by 8.6 per cent will not help. In fact, many Ontario business owners have indicated having to absorb this increase will only result in staff reductions. Consider this: Is it better to have 10 people earning $8.75 an hour or six workers earning $9.50? Also when the minimum wage is hiked-- as Ontario has four times since it hit $8 per hour-- it puts pressure on business owners to increase their entire pay scale. Then there are the ever-increasing costs for supplies, services, hydro, property taxes, etc., the small business owner must consider. That owner is more likely to cut back on low-level workers-- such as students-- in an effort to keep long-term workers employed. The fact remains Ontario has one of the highest minimum wages in the country and less than five per cent of Ontario workers actually earn minimum wage-- a wage few aspire to work for. The Province would be far better off providing tax breaks to small businesses that would allow for investment in training and provide more opportunity for employment. Increasing the minimum wage may have seemed a workable plan in 2007 but the harsh economic realities of 2009 indicate otherwise. The Liberals would be wise to rethink their plan in order to prevent a bad situation from becoming worse. The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Students would benefit from year-long school term I understand why many people would be upset about the early start to the school year, however, it is my opinion that our children would benefit from going to school throughout the year with some breaks in between. Preferably those breaks would be made when most parents can take time off for vacation. Our March Break, for example, is a time when everyone knows that they must plan in order to accommodate their children; whether they are going on vacation or doing other extra-curricular activities. As a parent, it is my opinion that the Halton public and Catholic school boards may find it beneficial to favour schooling throughout the year in order to ensure that our children have all the required educational hours. On the bright side, parents wouldn't have to scramble to put their child on a waiting list for a favourite camp, tutoring service, or find a caregiver to take care of their children while they work through the summer season. Teachers would also be enjoying the breaks in between with the required professional development days and the statutory days also. As well, we may never have to worry about our children being sent to school before Labour Day because that may be a time for a scheduled school year break. Obviously, there would be many other concerns and issues that would pop up and need to be ironed out, but this change could be beneficial to all of us in the long run. S.GIANVITO Shame on teen-aged litterbugs To the teens who were driving a black compact car south on Postmaster Drive on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 24 of this year. I was coming up behind you when someone threw a McDonald's bag of garbage out the left side window and into the street. I'm shocked and I'm mad. Unfortunately, I was too far behind when you made the light Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com See Thoughtless page 7 This week's poll This week's question is: Do you agree with the new green legislation that requires home sellers to get an energy audit for $300 before selling their home? · Yes · No To vote, visit oakvillebeaver.com. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981.Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.