Minimum wage hike a step in the right direction, organization says

Nova Scotia’s minimum wage is set to reach $16.50 in October

2 min read
Man in a store with his hand on a cash register
caption Minimum wage in Nova Scotia will increase to $16.50 an hour on Oct. 1.
Brad Chandler

An anti-poverty organization says the province’s increase to the minimum wage is a small step toward reducing inequality.

The province announced on Wednesday that it will increase the minimum wage to $15.70 on April 1 from $15.20, followed by a further increase to $16.50 on Oct. 1.

The Progressive Conservatives had promised the increase in its 2024 election platform. A news release from the provincial government calls the move the “the largest minimum wage increase in the province’s history.”

Alec Stratford, chair of the Nova Scotia Action Coalition for Community Well-Being, believes the increase is important, but more action needs to be taken.

“Increasing minimum wage is a meaningful way of reducing inequality, but it’s not a standalone policy position,” said Stratford.

Citing the need for government programs, Stratford hopes the province will be able to “rein in rising inequality.”

“The minimum wage increase is a substantial move forward, however the cost of living and overall income required to be at the poverty line, as well as to earn a living wage, is still very much out of line,” said Stratford.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released its annual living wage estimates for Nova Scotia in August. The living wage to support two children in a dual income family varies across the province. In Halifax, the organization pegs the living wage at $28.30, in Cape Breton it’s $24, and in southern Nova Scotia the living wage is $25.20.

Stratford said “whether [these minimum wage increases] will continue, to get us to a livable wage, that remains very unclear.”

Labour Minister Nolan Young said in a news release the province is “supporting hard-working Nova Scotians while addressing the rising cost of living.”

The provincial government’s news release stated that “workers earning the general minimum wage and working 37.5 hours per week will see an annual pay raise of up to $2,535.”

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Connor Parent

Connor Parent is an aspiring journalist in his fourth year at the University of King’s College.

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