Manitoba minimum wage bumps up five cents

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This article was published 30/09/2021 (1184 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Minimum-wage workers in Manitoba received a five-cent-per-hour raise on Friday.

The Progressive Conservative government announced in May the minimum wage would rise to $11.95, effective Oct. 1.

By law, Manitoba’s minimum wage is tied to the Consumer Price Index. The increase of a nickel is based on the province’s 2020 inflation rate of 0.5 per cent, rounding up to the nearest five cents, Manitoba Finance previously explained.

Indexing Manitoba’s minimum wage to inflation provides predictability for businesses in terms of wage costs and ensures the purchasing power of the minimum wage is maintained on an ongoing basis, officials said.

The Opposition NDP said $11.95/hr isn’t a living wage, and a five-cent raise isn’t nearly enough.

“You shouldn’t have to work two or three jobs just to pay the bills, but for many workers in Manitoba, especially single mothers and seniors, that’s the reality,” NDP labour critic Tom Lindsey said in a statement Friday.