Local labour groups held a demonstration in front of the Tim Hortons on Bedford Road and Bloor Street, and on Spadina Road and Bloor Street, this afternoon to protest cuts to employee benefits being made at Tim Hortons franchises due to Ontario’s minimum wage increase.
The demonstration at the Tim Hortons, which is next to the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and across the street from Varsity Stadium, was one of many demonstrations held by community members, labour groups, and students that took place across the province this afternoon in response to the cuts.
Some Tim Hortons franchises have cut paid breaks and reduced employee benefits in reaction to the minimum wage rising from $11.60 to $14.00 this January.
Jared Ong of the Workers Action Centre told The Varsity that they were there “in support of Tim Hortons workers because we believe that it’s unfair that a company which profits off people’s coffee breaks are taking away breaks.”
The demonstrations were organized by the Ontario Federation of Labour, which represents 54 Ontario unions, and the Fight for $15 and Fairness, a group that aims to protect workers’ rights and defend labourers from “attacks by the corporate lobby and right-wing politicians.”
