Province Commits to $15 Minimum Wage

Nova Scotia will adopt a fifteen dollar minimum wage though it will take a while to get there.

The province announced today that it will implement all the recent recommendations of the Minimum Wage Review Committee.

The Premier says, "We are committed to ensuring our province grows and that all Nova Scotians benefit from that growth.” Tim Houston added, "After further consultation with stakeholders, we are accepting the full set of recommendations.”

Last month the province accepted the committee's recommendation to increase the minimum wage by 40 cents to $13.35 an hour on April 1. Today they announced a phased plan to reach the long-sought fifteen dollar bench mark in two years. The steps include another raise on October 1st to $13.60, followed by increases on April 1, 2023 to $14.30, October 1, 2023 to $14.65, and final on April 1, 2024 to $15.

The committee also recommended the minimum wage increase annually based on the national consumer price index, plus an additional one per cent, effective April 1, 2025.

Labour Minister Jill Balser said, "Working Nova Scotians deserve to be paid a fair wage. I also recognize many businesses have had a difficult time during the pandemic. That's why it's so important to take a balanced approach that supports both employees and employers.”

The Minimum Wage Review Committee consists of employee and employer representatives.

An average of 8.1 per cent of workers—31,400 Nova Scotians—worked for minimum wage during the period from April 2020 to March 2021. They worked primarily in retail trade, followed by food, and accommodation industries.

The Nova Scotia Minimum Wage Review Committee Report is available at: https://novascotia.ca/lae/pubs/.

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