ulture

Wages: A trending topic in North America

Tyson Kelsall
Culture Editor | ote-culture@unbc.ca

longside Barack Obama and the

Democrats looking to raise the US
federal minimum wage to $10.10 from
$7.25,fair wages have come to the forefront
of many political conversations around
North America. In Seattle, Socialist
Alternative party member and city
councilor Kshama Sawant has been leading
many protests fighting for a $15 minimum
wage; these marches have begun to
manifest themselves across the continent,
including in Philadelphia and Toronto.
Although the Toronto protests in Yonge-
Dundas Square, led by Ontario Federation of
Labour and attracting over 150 people, was
demanding a little less at $14 per hour. This
is following the Wal-Mart and Fast Food

worker strikes which both occurred in the
USA within the past few months. In mid-
February, the faculty at the University of
Illinois went on strike for a fair wage. Many
groups are demanding better pay around
North America.

With the income inequality gap continuing
to grow, more people are starting to
become unhappy. Students graduate only
to work a job where they are paid below the
poverty line more and more often. Tensions
are intensifying between the capitalist class
and the rest of the population.

Additionally, the matter of a living wage
has started to become more prominent.
The Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives
defines a living wage as “the minimum

hourly wage necessary for each of two
workers in a family of four to meet basic
needs and to participate in the civic/social
life of their community.” In certain areas,
including New Westminster, BC and Seattle,
WA, the living wage has been implemented
for public service employees, but has yet to
be put in place for people working outside
of the government. In Prince George, public
service workers are paid above the living
wage, which has been calculated to be
$16.90, despite no binding legislation.

Conservatives and other right-wingers
argue that raising the minimum wage
destroys jobs, especially with the corporate
manufacturing sector looking for the
cheapest labour on a global scale. However,
the most familiar argument against cheap

labour is that the lowest paid workers

will be able to spend more money, hence
creating an economic stimulus, and will
either leave the job market relatively

the same or slightly better. If the latter
argument holds true, it is also important to
recognize that raising the minimum wage
will be improving the lives of many people.
For instance, it is assumed that roughly

28 million people in the USA are making
less than $10.10 per hour, according to the
Economic Policy Institute. It was perhaps
comedian Chris Rock who summed it up
best, early in his career: “I used to work at
McDonald's making minimum wage. You
know what that means when someone pays
you minimum wage? You know what your
boss was trying to say? ‘Hey if I could pay
you less, I would, but it's against the law.”

Moose

Mystery, B.C. 88

Tyson Kelsall
Culture Editor | ote-culture@unbc.ca

ver the next five years, the BC
O government will study at least 200
moose in the province's interior, including
a large portion in the Prince George area.
The BC government study shows that there
has been an approximately 50% decline in
moose population around Prince George
since 2005, though the upcoming study will
give a clearer picture of moose population
change.

Since the study is lengthy, results will

not be prepared for a while, but as more
insights are offered there will be room

for change and growth. The study is
hypothesizing that the factors of declining
moose include: hunting pressure, predators,
parasites, climate, and forestry-related
changes. However, some have brought

up the fact that a study in 2007 showed
over 150 moose carcasses surrounding the
railway between Endako and Smithers. This
seems a large number of dead moose in the
span of roughly only 200-250 kilometers.
Critics say that CN Rail has not done
enough to combat animal deaths by their
trains.

20}

PSN QOS,

Of course,
investigating what is
causing so much grief

in regards to the lives

of moose could lead to
findings concerning other
animals. It is more than likely, especially
when it comes to things as big as the
climate or fast moving trains, that other
wildlife has been likewise affected.

Aside from the Prince George area, there
will be two other studies near Fort St. James
and Kamloops (Bonaparte), although the
study could grow upon itself as information
is gathered. Of the staff included so far in
the project, there will be eleven wildlife
biologists, and the budget will be over two
million dollars. In the end, the goal is about
finding out what is causing moose decline,
if it is really happening, and what can be
done to change it.