Manitoba's minimum wage is increasing
The minimum wage in Manitoba is increasing to $15.30 this October; however, one group is saying it still comes up short.
On Wednesday, the Manitoba government announced that it would be increasing the minimum wage twice in 2023. This includes a 65-cent increase on April 1, 2023, to $14.15 and then a further $1.15 increase on Oct. 1, 2023, to $15.30.
The province notes these increases will put Manitoba in the top three of provincial minimum wages.
In recognition of current financial challenges, Labour and Immigration Minister Jon Reyes said the government passed legislative amendments to the Employment Standards Code that allows the minimum wage to be increased above the legislated inflation-tied formula.
“To balance the financial realities of Manitoba workers and the economic challenges for small businesses, we implemented a phased-in approach that will help more Manitobans get ahead,” he said in a news release.
Despite this increase means Manitoba will have one of the highest minimum wages of any province, the Manitoba Federation of Labour (MFL) is concerned that it still isn’t enough.
In a statement, MFL president Kevin Rebeck said a minimum wage of $15.30 still falls $3 short of a living wage, which is the wage workers need to be able to meet their basic needs.
Rebeck said that the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – Manitoba has calculated that the living wage in Winnipeg is $18.34.
“That means that even after the minimum wage increases to $15.30 in October, there will be people who work full-time but still live in poverty in Manitoba,” he said.
Rebeck noted that the government’s formula for minimum wage increases was put in place in 2016 and began with a base rate of $11. Although minimum wage has been indexed to inflation since 2016, Rebeck said it remains below the poverty line and won’t rise above it unless it is “significantly rebased.”
“The Stefanson government’s funding formula keeps people in poverty, and will never lift them out,” he said.
“It is an insult to basic human dignity to have Manitobans working full-time and still living in poverty.”
Reyes said the inflation-tied formula ensures Manitoba’s minimum wage is linked to economic indicators.
Wednesday’s minimum wage announcement comes after Manitoba increased the minimum wage to $13.50 on Oct. 1, 2022.
More information on Manitoba’s minimum wage can be found online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Health minister 'deeply appreciative' of doctors but capital gains changes here to stay
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is 'deeply appreciative' of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government has no plans to scrap the proposed capital gains tax changes outlined in the latest budget, despite opposition from the Canadian Medical Association.
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
'Of course, yes': Poland latest European country with interest in Canadian LNG
The President of Poland says his country would 'of course' be interested in purchasing Canadian liquefied natural gas if it were available, while the Canadian federal government has said it is 'not interested' in subsidizing future projects.
Passage of harsh anti-2SLGBTQ+ law in Iraq draws diplomatic backlash
Human rights groups and diplomats criticized a law that was quietly passed by the Iraqi parliament over the weekend that would impose heavy prison sentences on gay and transgender people.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
A munitions explosion at a Cambodian army base kills 20 soldiers, but its cause is unclear
Security was tight around a military base in southwestern Cambodia on Sunday, a day after a huge explosion there killed 20 soldiers, wounded others and damaged nearby houses.
What Trudeau's podcast appearances say about the Liberals' next ballot box question
Trudeau recently appeared on four podcasts as he travels the country talking up the Liberals' latest budget, which he's pitching as a plan to inject more economic fairness into society for those under 40 — a cohort that has kept Trudeau in power since 2015 but is increasingly turning to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.