WHEN: Monday, April 1st, 12pm – 1pm
WHERE: Maritime Center, 1505 Barrington Street, Halifax
WHAT: Rally and March for $15 Minimum Wage & Fairness
SPEAKERS: Christine Saulnier, El Jones, Marleigh Smith, Jacqueline Swaine
Nova Scotians find poverty no laughing matter
As another April Fools’ Day is upon us, Nova Scotians find themselves not in the laughing mood at the latest joke being played on them by the McNeil government. On April 1, the minimum wage will be raised to $11.55 (for experienced workers), which hits well below the $15 recommended by advocates, and will do little to lift hard-working Nova Scotians out of poverty. Organized by the Fight for Fifteen and Fairness campaign, workers will hit the streets on Monday at 12pm at the Maritime Center (1505 Barrington Street) to demand a $15 minimum wage, as well as higher income assistance rates and greater benefits and protections for all workers.
The Fight for $15 & Fairness campaign is a growing movement rallying people behind the bold vision of building the economy from the ground up. Successful campaigns in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario have already had a positive impact on the economy and have lifted thousands of workers out of poverty, while doomsday predictions of job losses and business closures were proven false.
Nova Scotia has the lowest median income and the highest child poverty rate in the country, and it’s the only province where this number keeps rising. “That isn’t going to change if wages don’t keep up with living expenses”, says campaign co-organizer Josephin Erlach. “When we put more money in the pockets of low-income workers, it reduces inequality, boosts consumer spending, and gives people a real chance to break the cycle of poverty”.
Join us in demanding a fair wage and letting the government know that Nova Scotians deserve better!
For more information: http://fightfor15halifax.ca
https://www.facebook.com/FightFor15Halifax/
MEDIA CONTACT
Hailie Tattrie – hailie.tattrie@dal.ca
