Dear Premier: Re: The Ontario government pays students less than Wal-Mart or McDonalds. Are you aware that your government treats student employees worse than other employers treat their minimum-wage workers? More than 3,000 students work for the Ontario government each summer. They run natural heritage programs, collect fees and maintain campgrounds at provincial parks. They give travel advice to tourists at the road-side travel information centres. They are the animators, guides and operators at tourist attractions. They carry out fieldwork and public outreach programs at the Ministry of the Environment. They do many other important jobs Without the students, most of these programs could not run. About half of the students earn minimum wage, $9.50 an hour. Many are expected to work the statutory holidays This summer, for the first time, the Ontario government decided it will no longer pay out vacation and holiday pay. Students will lose hundreds of dollars, money they need to pay the ever-rising costs of going to college or university. How was the government able to do this? It exempted itself from sections of the Employment Standards Act that require all other employers to compensate for vacations and statutory holidays. As a result, students earning minimum wage for the government now earn less than if they worked at Wal-Mart, McDonalds or any other employer. This is disgraceful. The Ontario government should be a model employer, especially for the students who are the future of our province. We would expect you, as the “Education” Premier, to understand that. Do the right thing! Pay the most vulnerable employees of the Ontario government their vacation and holiday pay. Sincerely,