Toronto/CMEDIA: Five provinces of Canada reportedly Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are increasing the minimum wage on Oct. 1 to support workers and businesses struggling with high living costs.
The minimum wage increase in the following provinces is given below:
Ontario‘s minimum wage will increase to $17.60 per hour, up 40 cents from $17.20.
Prince Edward Island will show an increase of up 50 cents from $16 to $16.50 per hour.
Previously raised to $15.70 from $15.20 on Apr, the minumum wage of Nova Scotia would be $16.50 per hour, up $1.30 this year. It will be the second hike this year
Manitoba would see an increase in its minimym wage of $16 per hour, up 20 cents from $15.80.
The minimum wage if Saskatchewan would increase to $15.35 per hour, up 35 cents from $15.
Jurisdictions tie their hikes to the Consumer Price Index or have their own approaches.
Employers in these five provinces are needed to comply with the new standards affecting areas such as payroll systems, employment contracts and job postings, according to Charlie Herrera Vacaflor, a senior employment law consultant at HR consultancy firm Peninsula Canada, in a press release.
All jurisdictions this year except Alberta have raised their rates, or plan to do so.
Alberta hasn’t changed its rate of $15 an hour since 2018 and has been paying students under 18 a different rate at $13 an hour since 2019.making Alberta with the lowest pay rate in the country.
In spite of the boost in minimum wages, affordability remains a problem, particularly in big cities such as Toronto and Vancouver.
According to a report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives published earlier this month, residents in those cities need to earn about $37 an hour, or more than $78,000 a year, for the average rent on a one-bedroom apartment to be considered affordable.
