These Provinces Are Raising Their Minimum Wage In 2023 & Here's Who's Getting A Pay Bump
Minimum wages in Canada are set to be raised in 2023, with multiple provinces soon getting a pay bump.
However, not everyone will get an increase, and many regions will still fall short of the highest minimum wage in Canada, even with the pay raise.
According to the Government of Canada, several provinces have forthcoming raises to their respective minimum wage, while others may have recently gotten a bump and will not see another just yet.
Some provinces will see wage hikes as soon as April, while others will get theirs in October.
Among the regions set to see wages go up sooner rather than later is Manitoba, where the minimum wage will increase by 65 cents as of April 1, 2023, to $14.15 from its current $13.50.
Another wage increase is expected for the province in October, when the minimum wage is set to rise to $15 per hour.
Minimum wage in New Brunswick is also set to go up, rising by a whole dollar to $14.75 as of April 1.
Likewise, Newfoundland and Labrador will also see a sizeable increase, with wages rising by 80 cents to $14.50 per hour. Wages will rise again on October 1, landing at $15 an hour.
Nova Scotia will also see multiple minimum wage hikes this year, with the first scheduled for April 1, which will raise rates by 90 cents to $14.50 per hour, and the second on October 1, which will up it to $15.
Yukon will also see a wage hike on April 1, when the province's minimum wage will increase to $16.77, up from $15.70.
Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet said in January that the province would see a pay bump of $1 as of May 1, 2023, making the minimum wage in Quebec $15.25, CTV News reported at the time.
Some provinces will have to wait a few months before they see any wage increases, namely P.E.I., which will see wages go up to $15 per hour on October 1, and Saskatchewan, which will see raises increase to $14 per hour at the same time.
While the Northwest Territories hasn't announced any specific wage increases, the government said in August that it will be changing the way it calculates and adjusts the territory’s minimum wage.
According to officials, beginning September 1, 2023, the minimum wage will be adjusted annually using a formula based on the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for Yellowknife and the percentage change in the average hourly wage in the Northwest Territories for the last calendar year.
The new rate will be announced by August 1 of each year, the government says.
Provinces not getting an increase
Ontario's minimum wage will not go up, having recently seen an increase in October 2022 that brought it to $15.50 per hour.
Likewise, the minimum wage in B.C. will not be part of the pay bumps, with its last increase in June 2022, which brought it to $15.65 per hour.
Alberta also is not set to see any wage hikes, with its most recent update being a $15 per hour minimum wage set in 2019.
Nunavut, which at one time held Canada's highest minimum wage, is also not set to see an increase this year, although according to reports, the Government of Nunavut will review the territory’s minimum wage this summer.
What is the highest minimum wage in Canada?
Nunavut currently has the highest minimum wage in Canada at a rate of $16 per hour, however, with the price adjustments set to take place over the coming months, it looks like a new region will have the title.
Once wages rise to $16.77 per hour in Yukon come April, the territory will hold Canada's highest minimum wage.
As for who has the lowest salary in Canada when it comes to minimum wage rates, the figure can be found in Manitoba, where the current minimum wage is $13.50 per hour.
And even with the coming hikes, the province is still set to have the lowest minimum wage rate in Canada.
