Metro Inc say it will cease 24 hour service at most stores in Toronto because of the impending cost related the $15 minimum wage and other Ontario legislation which forces it to pay part-time workers as full-time. Among the Metro locations which may no longer offer 24-hour service is the very busy store at Eglinton Ave. and Bayview Ave. It was once called the busiest Metro in Toronto although LRT construction may have slowed business somewhat. Metro says it expects to incur $45-$50 million in extra costs next year from Ontario’s minimum wage hike, according to the Financial Post
LOBLAWS EXPERIMENT
It remains to be seen what the wage increase will mean at Loblaws. Many stores, like 301 Moore Ave., is open until midnight staffed entirely by part-time help. Will this continue? Loblaws tried a 24-hour model at Moore Ave and elsewhere in 2011. The pilot lasted just four months before it was cancelled.
