An open letter signed by 40 economists from across the country is debunking predictions that planned minimum wage increases in Ontario will lead to job losses and inflation.
The letter to Premier Kathleen Wynne says her plan to raise the wage from the current $11.40 an hour to 15-dollars by 2019 could substantially benefit low-wage workers and the economy as a whole.
The letter says the argument that raising the minimum wage will kill jobs is ''fear-mongering'' that is not supported by the evidence.
Lars Osberg, a former president of the Canadian Economics Association who is among those who signed the letter, says the wage hike is a very good thing for a segment of the workforce that hasn't seen much good news for a while.