New Brunswickers surveyed on 2-tiered minimum wage

 New Brunswick has started gathering public comment on a proposed minimum wage for workers who earn tips.

Four provinces — Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia — have already brought in two-tiered minimum wage systems. Advocates of the change say a lower minimum wage for employees who earn tips makes sense in light of their higher earnings.

The New Brunswick government has launched an online survey on the issue. The survey doesn't indicate what the tip differential might be, but Luc Erjavec of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association says no one's wages would be rolled back.

"Next time the minimum wage goes up, it would stay where it is for those who earn tips," Erjavec said. His group supports a two-tiered system for New Brunswick, where 22,000 people are employed in the restaurant and food services industry.

New Brunswick last raised the minimum wage on April 1, when it went up to $9.50. An increase planned for Sept. 1 was delayed six months, leaving New Brunswick's wage the lowest among the provinces. 

When the September increase was put off, Martine Coulombe, the post-secondary education and labour minister in the Conservative government, said she wanted to explore a two-tiered system.

People can participate in the online survey until Dec. 14.

"We are especially interested in receiving input from servers who earn tips and from their employers," Coulombe said in a release Thursday.

Erjavec said a tip differential would help New Brunswick become more competitive with other jurisdictions.

"I really believe it will help protect jobs," he said. "And it recognizes the significant income that tip-earners make,"