New Brunswick now has the lowest minumum wage in Canada.
It currently sits at $10.30, and the next increase, bringing it to $11 is not expected until 2017.
Atlantic Director for the Retail Council of Canada Jim Cormier agrees the minimum wage has to increase, but it has to be done in a responsible manner, so it won’t be a direct hit on businesses.
He says, “You can’t have a scenario where governments are raising the minimum wage whenever they feel like, in some cases , more than once a year. That’s really hard on businesses.:
He would like to see New Brunswick use a similar model Nova Scotia uses, by looking at the previous year’s Consumer Price Index, and using it to decide what the increase should be. The increase, usually happens in April, and the wage goes up by that amount. He notes, “That helps provides predictability for businesses.”
