About 40 businesses in Quinte West have given their opinions on the proposed minimum wage increase, through a multi-week online survey.
Business owners were asked about how they would be affected by the proposed increase, which would see minimum wage jump to $15 per hour, by 2018.
Chamber Manager Suzanne Andrews tells Quinte News most business owners agree with the need to pay good wages and take care of employees, but noted the increase may cause some issues between current workers and new hires.
Andrews added there were other employers who said they simply wouldn’t be able to afford the increase, because the cost of doing business in Ontario is already so high, but says some respondents were on the other side of the situation altogether.
Andrews says representatives from the Quinte West, Belleville and Prince Edward County chambers will be meeting this week to get a better picture of how the hike will affect the region as a whole and continue to lobby the government for more help for businesses, once the new rules come into effect.
