Blue Mountain Resort announced today it is boosting employee wages at a cost of $1 million with increases starting at the entry-level rates.
The resort's wage rates will now start at $16.50 per hour.
Premier Doug Ford has promised to increase the minimum wage to $15 for Ontario, but Blue Mountain is heading into the winter season looking to fill 500 positions for both outdoor and indoor jobs.
"We have always exceeded minimum hourly wage guidelines," said Blue Mountain president and COO, Dan Skelton, in a news release from the resort. "We do our very best to balance the needs of all stakeholders when it comes to ensuring competitive compensation and we feel that an increase right now will not only assist our current employees but also help us in recruiting the people we need to join our team this winter."
Blue Mountain also has a tuition assistance program for employees, and all staff get a free ski or snowboard pass to the resort for the season they work.
Lesley Biffin, VP of Human Resources, said the resort has also made a flexible schedule more suited to caregivers.
"Our hope is that working at Blue Mountain is a choice that community members feel proud of and one that works best for their livelihood," said Biffin in the news release.
Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN) indicates a living wage for Simcoe County residents is $19.05 per hour, and for Grey County residents it's $18.39 per hour. A living wage, defined by the OLWN, is the amount of hourly pay needed for local residents to be able to afford their basic expenses and participate in their community.
For more information on jobs at Blue Mountain, visit the resort website.
