Nova Scotia Minimum Wage to Rise Again

Nova Scotia's minimum wage rate is going up again.

The rate will rise by 30 cents on Oct. 1, to $6.80 per hour, the Department of Environment and Labour announced today, May 25. It will rise again by an additional 35 cents to $7.15 per hour on April 1, 2006.

The last minimum wage increase was in April 2004. The wage was increased to $6.50 per hour at that time.

Nova Scotia's minimum wage is reviewed annually. On Oct. 30, 2003, new legislation established a minimum wage review committee to conduct the review and prepare a report for the minister. The committee has equal representation of employers and employees.

About 21,900 Nova Scotians currently work for minimum wage. The increase will benefit those who need it most by increasing their gross yearly income by about $624 with the first increase, and an additional $728 with the second.

The increases will contribute to Nova Scotia's economic prosperity and put the province on par with Prince Edward Island, where the rate rose to $6.80 per hour in January 2005. The increases will also move Nova Scotia's minimum wage ahead of New Brunswick's and Newfoundland's.