Businesses in Atlantic Canada say their payroll costs will increase significantly tomorrow when the minimum wage goes up in all four provinces.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says payroll for their members will increase by $54.5 million tomorrow. Nearly 60 per cent of them have not been able to absorb the cost of past increases much less the pending one, so they have increased costs to consumers.
The CFIB is urging all four provincial governments to link future increases in minimum wage to a set percentage of the median wage.
Vice-President, Atlantic for the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses Louis-Philippe Gauthier
Louis-Philippe Gauthier, the Atlantic Vice-President of the CFIB, says the Maritimes and Newfoundland and Labrador need to get back to a once-a-year frequency and tie minimum wage increases to something that’s real.
The lowest paid workers in Newfoundland and Labrador get a 60 cent raise tomorrow to $15.60 an hour.
