What Manitoba's minimum wage will be increasing to this fall
Manitoba's minimum wage is going up this fall.
On Thursday, the province announced minimum wage would be increasing from $11.95 per hour to $13.50 as of October of this year.
This increase will leave Manitoba with the second-lowest minimum wage in the country, according to the Retail Council of Canada – followed by Saskatchewan's expected increase to $13 per hour.
Nunavut currently has the highest minimum wage, which is set at $16 an hour, followed by Yukon ($15.70) and B.C. ($15.65).
The province said another increase of 65 cents is expected in Manitoba on April 1, 2023, bringing the minimum wage to $14.15 per hour.
The province said with the expected consumer price index increase for 2022, the next indexed adjustment will then bring Manitoba's minimum wage to 'around' $15 an hour for Oct. 1, 2023.
"We intend to get to the $15 range. We don't know what inflation is going to be for the next year," said Reg Helwer, Manitoba's minister of labour, consumer protection and government services.
Following this increase, the province said it will return to the indexed process.
WAGE INCREASE WILL FALL SHORT OF WHAT FAMILIES NEED, MFL PRESIDENT SAYS
This increase, however, is far below what Manitoba Federation of Labour (MFL) President Kevin Rebeck said his organization was advocating for – a minimum wage of $16.15.
"The planned minimum wage of $13.50 this year will fall well short of what working families need to make ends meet," he said in a statement. "All working families are concerned about the crushing increases in the cost of living with the price jump at the gas pumps and the grocery stores hitting low-wage workers particularly hard."
Rebeck accused the province of siding with employers.
Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said additional increases to the minimum wage could, "create pressure on small businesses and their operations."
"We believe the correction we are announcing today in the minimum wage is a move in the right direction," Stefanson said.
"Labour is always going to be on one side, management is going to be on the other. We believe that this is a fair and balanced approach to getting to where we think is a competitive place across the country."
Cliff Cullen, Manitoba's Minister of Economic Development, Investment and Trade, said the province will be consulting with the industry about potential support programs for businesses that need help adjusting to higher payrolls.
"We recognize this wage increase may create challenges and we want to avoid unintended consequences that might result in higher prices," Cullen said.
Correction
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated Nova Scotia's minimum wage would be $13.35 as of Oct. 1, 2022. However it will actually be increasing to $13.60, leaving Manitoba with the second lowest minimum wage at that time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.