The crisis of rising living costs, which has led to increased food prices and economic anxiety, has resulted in an increase in Canada's minimum wage for workers in six provinces. However, both supporters and critics of this plan are concerned that this amount may not be sufficient.
Although the minimum wage in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick, and western regions of Canada will not see any specific changes, the minimum wage in Ontario will rise to $16.55 per hour, in Manitoba to $15.30 per hour, and in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador to $15 per hour. The minimum wage for workers in Saskatchewan will also increase to $14, but this province still has the lowest minimum wage in Canada, differing by 75 cents from New Brunswick.
Some advocates of this plan have welcomed it, but they still believe that this amount may not be enough to cover the cost of living for Canadians. "Craig Pictorin," the spokesperson for the Ontario Minimum Wage Network, said, "The minimum wage for Ontario residents should realistically be $23.15. This means that even after this plan, if you work full-time at minimum wage, you will still be short of $230 per week."
The new plan to increase Canada's minimum wage announces an annual increase of $2,200 in Canada's minimum wage. However, this only applies to individuals working 40 hours a week in Ontario. "Mia Copeland," a college student, commented on this, saying, "This increase does not fully cover our cost of living. Regardless of the increase in Canada's minimum wage, everything is still very expensive."
Manitoba's minimum wage has also increased by $1.15 per hour and is now in competition with Ontario and British Columbia. The highest minimum wage for Canadian workers currently belongs to the Yukon Territory, where workers receive $16.77 per hour. British Columbia follows closely behind with a minimum wage of $16.75 per hour.
It should be noted that the minimum wage in Nunavut has also been set at $16 per hour, and the Northwest Territories saw an hourly wage of $16.05 in September for certain areas in the Northwest region.

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