Money

[Jim]

I remember in the topic before where we were talking about how athletes are called heroes nowadays (all olympic athletes apparently), and how I figured that wasn't really true, but I thought fire fighters for example were... It was then brought up that they are just doing they're job, and they choose it with the money in mind (or at least partly), and it wasn't a completely out of the blue selfless thing... Anyways this topic isn't about whether or not someone is a hero for being a fire fighter, it is about money.... I've been looking at some of the rates of pay around here lately (local to the BC lower mainland) and they aren't all what I expected. A starting firefighter in Abbotsford only makes around $25 an hour. I found a job posting for a garbage truck driver, with the rate of pay at $28 an hour. A job at CN (railroad), driving around a pickup truck and doing some paper work can pay $25ish an hour I believe, and is a walk in off the street job. I just saw that a custodian I (I guess that is the starting level for a custodian?) in the Abbotsford school district starts at $18.75 an hour. A few years after I was out of high school, I was talking to the assistant cafeteria teacher / wrestling coach and I don't recall exactly the numbers that were discussed, but I don't think she was making anything near what the custodian job pays. I also saw a posting for a library "tech", at $23-$24 an hour. This is a long, ranty, unformatted mess of a post, but I just wanted to share that I think pay rates for a lot of jobs are out of whack.

I would expect a fire fighter to make more then a garbage truck driver (I'm sure they do after a few years on the job), or a library tech, given the dangers associated with it, and long term health issues. And I would expect a teacher to make more then a janitor (custodian).

I think, but am not sure, that most retail and hospitality jobs (fast food and restaurant type) are basically mostly minimum wage, the lowest in all of Canada. The same minimum wage BC had 9 years ago, keeping in mind that around here, it was common for real estate values to raise an average of something like 30% a year, and that top government officials gave themselves large raises while making cuts elsewhere.

Again there really is no purpose to this post, just some of my observations or opinions.

[Cal25]

First of all I think it absurd what they generally pay teachers. As for the pay of a firefighter or even police, I think supply and demand kick in and affect their pay. Never a shortage of applicants around where I live.

I live in a rural county. It used to be (and still might be the case,) that sherriff deputies would voluteer their service for up to 2 years before getting hired on full time. Again no shortage of volunteers. I just wish the same would go for the higher-ups in county government and lower their pay, after all, there is no shortage for people running for office either.

[Weldangrind]

Conversely, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that it's hard to keep garbage collectors unless you pay them well. The garbage collector on my street has my respect; he's at the curb at 7:05 every week, and he's hustling. My back hurts just watching.

[2LZ]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Conversely, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that it's hard to keep garbage collectors unless you pay them well. The garbage collector on my street has my respect; he's at the curb at 7:05 every week, and he's hustling. My back hurts just watching.

Boy....not here. They never get out of their warm, dry truck. Big hydraulic arm does all the work and if your can isn't 'in the exact spot on the curb', they have the energy to get out, write you a nasty-gram about can location and hang it on the can handle....but God forbid they wheel it (yes, wheels) those blessed 3 inches and dump it. Not a chance.... You come home to a nasty-gram and a full, smelly can. If you call and complain? They send a truck to get your trash....at your expense.
They just went on strike last year. I was screaming at the picket lines, "Get my G-D- garbage! I paid my bill!" :evil:
So....end result? They got their raise (they make really good coin here)...and my county bill went from 86.00 every two months to 135.00 to pay for it!

[Weldangrind]

I know that some Canadian municipalities are like that, and I appreciate how good we have it in my town. We have a two bag limit, but we can leave unlimited recyclables in blue bags, and cardboard in bundles.

The truck is divided into two sections, and the driver is required to manually toss all items into the truck. They have gone on strike here, but when they do the city gives us a rebate that equals the fee at the local transfer station.

[TurboT]

Hey Jim,

I agree some of the wages seem a bit haywire. As W&G says, there has to be something to paying well for jobs not a lot of people would want to do. Although it does seem odd the guy picking up your garbage is getting more than those running into burning buildings or the risk of getting shot at every day they go to their job.

If I had to buy a home now, as a first time buyer, I'd be screwed. I just wouldn't be able to get into one, even though my pay grade is certainly not lower end. (Taking a beating right now though) Our economy cannot support much higher wages for our front line government workers, yet the real estate just keeps climbing and nobody can afford it without living with 10 family members. Even with interest rates low, I can't see myself having to qualify for $400,000 to buy a 2000sq ft. home, and that's probably a cheap home.

I really don't know what the answer is. Yes, the minimum wage should be higher, but that usually just gets swallowed by higher costs everywhere else.

[katoranger]

Wow. I can buy 2000 sq ft for about 150K and my garbage is $15/month no matter how much I stack on the curb.

I don't think our trash guys are getting more than about $12/hr either.

Anyone from I understand most things are more expensive in Canada and Kalifonistan.

Allen

[Weldangrind]

As far as I can tell, goods are generally more expensive and taxes are higher in Canada. It would be nice to say that those taxes fund a free education system like some parts of Europe, but they don't.

When our dollar is strong (as it is right now), it really pays to shop across the border. As an example, if we buy a large box of Mini Wheats cereal from Costco in the US, it will be less expensive and have almost twice the contents. That makes no sense, since we have such a large agriculture base and we don't use much of our crops for fuel, like E85.

[TurboT]

Originally Posted by katoranger

Wow. I can buy 2000 sq ft for about 150K and my garbage is $15/month no matter how much I stack on the curb.

I don't think our trash guys are getting more than about $12/hr either.

Anyone from I understand most things are more expensive in Canada and Kalifonistan.

Allen

My house is valued at over $400,000 Kato, and it's 2000 sq ft, and I'm 1hr out of Vancouver. If I were closer, it'd be worth over $600,000. To top it off, I recently received a bill from our city for $1000 to cover water and sewage for the year. This is on top of my yearly property tax bill which is well over $2000.

When I bought the place 7 years ago, it was just over 200k value, and the water bill was $250/yr. While on paper it looks like I made money on the house, but in order for me to 'profit' I would have to move somewhere way cheaper with less job opportunity to take advantage, otherwise I'm paying inflated prices for another house.

I'm getting kind of bitter of late. I seem to be just keeping me head above water and I don't know how people survive in our part of the world unless they're making over 6 figure income a year. Our governments just keep hammering us with inflationary tax and fee increases, and nobody tends to make more money to cover it.

While I feel we're very lucky to live in Canada, it's becoming increasingly expensive to prosper and grow. I'm looking to get another part time job just so I can afford to live here, and I don't think that's a good thing to take time away from my time with my kids.

[giobikefans]

Part of the benefit of having higher paid workers is less income disparity. Although Canada still ranks worse than many European countries, the United States ranks last in this comparison: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/HCP/De...nequality.aspx

I think that's also part of the reason goods are supplied so cheap to the people of the United States; with the poor making proportionally less items have to be made less expensive for people to afford them. (Although don't get me wrong, the US is still leagues above most countries in the world for quality of life and I'd happily live there) Also, despite there being no universal healthcare system in the United States, the US is very good about agricultural and gasoline subsidies.

There are countless other reasons. Major cities are a lot further apart here, our dollar has historically been worth less so people are used to paying more if they don't comparison shop, etc etc.

Anyway back to the main point of this post... where were all those jobs when I needed them back when I was in school?

[Jim]

This is really irrelevant to the topic but I would say 9 times out of 10 that I've been cut off by a truck, it has been a garbage truck. The other times it was Sumas Transport. :roll:

There was an article recently in one of the Abbotsford papers about a survey done comparing peoples satisfaction with the garbage pickup in Chilliwack, Abbotsford and Langley... I think from what I read everyone was pretty satisfied.

Living in a strata property, our garbage isn't picked up by the city, we have to have our own contract. It works for me, I just don't understand why we still have to pay for municipal pickup on our taxes since they don't pickup from here.

I don't know that $28 is the average rate for a garbage truck job, just the one posting I saw for it... Maybe it was even a typo, who knows, but I'd be willing to do it for that rate I think.

The low interest rates are definitely nice, but I bet they're on the way back up, I know they've come back up some since their low. Although the prime rate hasn't changed...

Shopping across the border is nice, with the exception of having to cross the border, the bonus I would say on the Canadian side of things is they usually don't hassle people like on the USA side. Most of the time they ask where you are from and how long you've been gone. They don't even check ID quite often, and they don't bother charging taxes quite often too.

[TurboT]

Originally Posted by Jim

Shopping across the border is nice, with the exception of having to cross the border, the bonus I would say on the Canadian side of things is they usually don't hassle people like on the USA side. Most of the time they ask where you are from and how long you've been gone. They don't even check ID quite often, and they don't bother charging taxes quite often too.

They don't have to, they take a picture of your license plate when you pull in, and they know everything about you including picture of you naked.

[Jim]

I think you're thinking of airport security :P (the picture). They take the picture of the license plate on the USA side too, but they still check ID and ask more questions, in my experience at least. Canadian border guards seem pretty relaxed most of the time.

[phil]

i just glad to hear there are people still willing to work. i think we all have it to good, when you can complain about the price you pay to have someone pick up whats left of everything we buy and home and we have piles and piles every week my case confirmed. on a side note most of the people here that make a decent wage do so in the coal mine where the end result is the same fast as the recent example in wva or slow, by breaking, getting busted up, or dragging a o2 bottle around fighting for your last breath with black lung its just a shame the only way you hear any thing is when a large number has to be killed to notice. it happens about every month and hardly makes the local news if its just one person. so i really dont see fireman getting big money or a teacher mainly the teacher, who for the most part never got out of school and has never had a real job, then tells me how hard they work and deserve 3 months off, besides all the holiday time and days off btw i havent worked in a coal mine but i have worked in a prep plant, thats where the coal gets washed separated mixed and graded. and i was a teacher

[2LZ]

Originally Posted by phil

i just glad to hear there are people still willing to work.

AMEN! I'm surrounded by spoiled people who think they get paid to clock in.....late...and then wander around for 2 hours with a cup of coffee, visiting cubical after cubicle, complaining how bad they have it. Did I mention that I work for the State of California? Only 3.5 years now out of my entire life of working 'on the outside'....and I don't think I can take it much longer.
....and they want these worthless spoiled saps to run my healthcare now???????? 8O
Don't get me started. It's absolutely pathetic. You can't force people to do their jobs. It's against Union contract. You can't punish them, you can't force them to come to work if they don't want to, etc...etc...etc....
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.............. :evil: