Nova Scotia minimum wage rises to $14.50 an hour - Action News
Home WebMail Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 06:32 AM | Calgary | -0.3°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia minimum wage rises to $14.50 an hour

Nova Scotia's minimum wage increased to $14.50 an hour on Saturday, the first of two hikes that will take it to $15 an hour in 2023.

Wage will rise to $15 per hour by the end of 2023

Canadian coins of various denominations.
The minimum wage in Nova Scotia rose on Saturday from $13.60 per hour to $14.50. It will increase again in October. (John Gushue/CBC)

Minimum wage workers in Nova Scotia can look forward to a pay increase starting today.

The minimum wage in the province is up 90 cents to $14.50 an hour the first of two increases announced by the government in February. The second increase in October will take the wage to$15 an hour.

The increases will keep the province in line with P.E.I. and Newfoundland and Labrador, which will also move to a $15 minimum wage Oct. 1.

Nova Scotia has also agreed to increase the minimum wage each April based on the Consumer Price Index percentage change for the previous calendar year, plus one per cent.

New Brunswick increased its minimum wage to $14.75 an hour effective Saturday, making it the highest in Atlantic Canada.

Wage still not high enough, says labour leader

Danny Cavanagh, president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour, said he would like to see the province move further.

"Any increasewould have a positive effect," he said. "I think many people would like to see it be higher with the inflationary kind of things people are paying higher rents, higher grocery bills, higher gas money to get back and forth to work."

Cavanagh said studies have determined that people need to earn more than $15 per hour in all parts of the province to get by.

According to Cavanagh, there has to be an increase in wagesifNova Scotia employers want to encourage people to work in their sectors and stay in the province.

Nova Scotia lags behind Alberta, which hasa minimum wage of $15an hour. Ontario is $15.50 an hour and British Columbia $15.65.Yukon's minimum wage of $16.77 an houris the highest in the country.

With files from Victoria Welland