Sask. to have lowest minimum wage in Canada by April
Saskatchewan is on track to have the lowest minimum wage in Canada come April following a significant increase to New Brunswick’s wage earlier this week.
New Brunswick announced it would boost its minimum wage from $11.75 to $12.75, then up again in October to $13.75.
The Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry said through talking with people who are struggling financially, it’s clear that Saskatchewan’s $11.81 wage isn’t enough.
“We need to have a minimum wage that’s an actual living wage. The starting point that we’ve been calling for is 15 dollars an hour, but even 15 dollars an hour falls below what’s been calculated as a living wage,” Peter Gilmer, an advocate with the anti-poverty ministry, said.
Gilmer added the 15 dollar per hour mark does not take recent inflation rates into account.
“Recently, the cost of basic needs including food has been rising very rapidly,” he said. “[Saskatchewan] is consistently competing for the lowest minimum wage in the country and that does cause considerable hardship.”
Gilmer said low minimum wage ties into other poverty issues that are persistent in Saskatchewan.
“When we legislate a low minimum wage, when we legislate income assistance rates that don’t meet basic needs, we’re indexing poverty and we’re legislating poverty,” he said.
In addition to a higher minimum wage, Gilmer said adequate income assistance benefits and quality and affordable housing and child care options would all go a long way in terms of poverty reduction.
A significant increase to minimum wage isn’t welcomed by everyone.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) said many small businesses in the province are still feeling the financial burden of COVID-19.
Kathleen Cook, a senior policy analyst with CFIB, said many small businesses already pay their employees more than minimum wage if they are able to. She said a lower tax burden from the province could be once way to help employers pay a higher wage.
“A significant jump like we saw in New Brunswick would just not be feasible for many small businesses, so I think it’s important for the Saskatchewan government to consult with the small business community before implementing any change,” Cook said.
The Government of Saskatchewan said each increase to the minimum wage is calculated based on its minimum wage formula which gives equal weight to the percentage change in the provincial Average Hourly Wage and the Consumer Price Index for the previous years as published by Statistics Canada.
“We’ve had, for the last decade, a highly predictable formula,” Don Morgan, minister of labour relations, said. “We’re in a challenging time in the nation and in our province. We’re coming out of COVID-19 and we don’t want to do anything that puts a damper on the viability of businesses that are trying to work, so it’s something we’re going to maintain the stability.”
The minimum wage increased by 36 cents on Oct. 1, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.