Annual Minimum Wage Review Underway

The province has started a review of Nova Scotia's minimum wage rate.

The annual review, announced today, Jan. 7, by the Department of Environment and Labour, is being led this year by a new advisory committee. The Minimum Wage Review Committee was established last fall to provide advice to the minister on proposed changes to the province's minimum wage rate. The committee is expected to provide a recommendation to the minister some time in February. A decision on the rate is expected by April.

Nova Scotians can provide comments on the minimum wage rate by visiting the What's New section of the Department of Environment and Labour website at www.gov.ns.ca/enla/labstand/ .

Written submissions on the wage rate must be received by Tuesday, Feb. 8.

The province's Labour Standards Code requires a review of the minimum wage rate be done each year. Nova Scotia's minimum wage was raised in October 2004 to $6.50 an hour, bringing it in line with the rate in the other three Atlantic provinces, but slightly below the Canadian average of $7.05.

Of the province's 450,000 person workforce, about 22,000 currently earn minimum wage.