TORONTO ­— Official Opposition NDP Leader in Ontario, Andrea Horwath, announced Tuesday her plan for a $20 minimum wage, reached within her first term through steady, stable increases.

“Whether you are stocking grocery store shelves or cleaning a hospital you deserve respect. All workers deserve respect. Respect is not just saying thank you and calling someone a hero. Respect means paying people a wage that pays the bills,” said Horwath.

Horwath and the NDP’s path to $20 includes an increase every year. With Horwath as premier, the minimum wage will be $20 on May 1, 2026.

“The price of everything is going up – from gas to housing to hydro bills — and with Doug Ford’s low-wage policy, everyone is feeling the squeeze. Minimum wage earners are working their tails off and still can’t get ahead of the bills. They make sacrifices to buy the necessities for the kids, and often pick up a second or even third job to make ends meet,” said Horwath.

“Doug Ford cancelled a minimum wage increase and froze workers’ wages for three years. He has denied workers paid sick days again and again. And his low-wage policy includes a wage cap, which is forcing wages down for the whole middle class. He’s not here for working folks. It’s time for a premier that is.”

The NDP will move an amendment to the Ford government’s Fall Economic Statement to raise the minimum wage regularly according to Horwath’s schedule.

Horwath’s plan offers local businesses a stable, predictable path so they can prepare for changes, and will also include a fund to help with the transition for legitimately struggling small and medium sized local businesses, farms and agribusinesses.

Andrea Horwath and the NDP’s minimum wage schedule:

• $16 on Oct. 1, 2022
• $17 on May 1, 2023
• $18 on May 1, 2024
• $19 on May 1, 2025
• $20 on May 1, 2026

In the pic, Andrea Horwath (from her Twitter profile)