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Should N.L. tie minimum wage to inflation? Consultations start Feb. 6

The provincial government wants public input on a formula that will decide when the minimum wage should be raised and by how much.

Newfoundland and Labrador currently has Canada's lowest minimum wage

Chris Ensing · CBC News ·
Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour Gerry Byrne said this year's increases to minimum wage will bring the province in-line with Atlantic Canada. (Peter Cowan/CBC)

The Newfoundland and Labrador government wants public input on a formula that will decide when the minimum wage should be raised and by how much. 

The current minimum wage sits at $10.50, the lowest in Canada. It will rise by 25 cents on April 1 and then rise again on Oct 1 to $11, placing it line with the rest of Atlantic Canada. 

​The government has floated the idea of future increases to be based on "an inflationary measure" similar to what is used in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Yukon, according to a release sent by the Department of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour on Wednesday. 

Public consultations will start in Corner Brook on Monday, Feb 6. 

Six percent of the province's work force earned the minimum wage in 2015, with women making up about 66.3 per cent of those earners, according to statistics provided by the provincial government.

The consultations are being held at the College of the North Atlantic:

  • February 6, Corner Brook, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., 7-9 p.m.
  • February 15, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, 2-4 p.m., 7-9 p.m.
  • February 20, Grand Falls-Windsor, 2-4 p.m., 7-9 p.m.
  • February 21, Clarenville, 2-4 p.m., 7-9 p.m.
  • February 23, St. John's, 2:30-4:30 p.m., 7-9 p.m.

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