On the first day of October, Saskatchewan’s minimum wage will increase by 36 cents to $11.81 an hour.
The minimum wage is reviewed by the provincial government annually, using a formula that takes into account the consumer price index and the average hourly wage within the province.
“Dealing with COVID-19 over the past year and a half has been a difficult time for everyone in Saskatchewan,” said Don Morgan, the labour relations minister.
“The provincial government has a strong framework in place to ensure that we are supporting both businesses and workers as we move into recovery after the pandemic. As life returns to normal, sustainable and predictable increases to our minimum wage help ensure that everyone will be able to benefit from a strong and growing Saskatchewan in the future.”
When the increase happens on Oct. 1, Saskatchewan’s minimum wage will be the second-lowest in the country. New Brunswick would be the lowest at $11.75. The highest minimum wages are Nunavut at $16 an hour, B.C. at $15.20 an hour and Alberta at $15 an hour. Manitoba’s minimum wage, the third-lowest, will be $11.95 an hour.
Ryan Meili, the NDP’s leader, renewed his party’s calls for a $15 an hour minimum wage.
“Workers in this province have done everything that the government and public health officials have asked of them – and in return Premier Scott Moe has rewarded them with the second-lowest minimum wage in Canada,” he said. “Saskatchewan workers deserve so much better, and the economic recovery we all want to see won’t mean much if it doesn’t include working families being able to get back on their feet.”
