The province is increasing the minimum wage on Oct. 1 to $10.45 an hour, an increase of 20 cents over the current minimum wage. This announcement was made by Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade Minister Peter Bjornson.
“This increase will help the lowest wage earners in Manitoba and keeps pace with expected increases in the consumer price index,” said Bjornson. “Coupled with new training and skills development initiatives, this will help low-income Manitobans retain their purchasing power, continue to contribute to the growth of our economy and improve their education so they can find better paying jobs.”
The Manitoba government sought input from the Labour Management Review Committee (LMRC) on the increase and received separate recommendations from its labour and business representatives. With the increase, Manitoba’s minimum wage will be the third highest in Canada.
In recent years, the province has also reduced the financial burden on businesses, Bjornson said. A business tax on small businesses in 2005 was completely eliminated by 2010 and general corporate taxes fell to 12 per cent in 2009 from 16.5 per cent in 2002.
More information on changes to the minimum wage is available online.
