New Brunswick getting 55 cent increase to minimum wage this spring

New Brunswick’s minimum wage is going up by 55 cents on April 1, from $14.75 per hour to $15.30 per hour.

Last year, the province’s minimum wage went up a dollar from $13.75 per hour.

New Brunswick’s minimum wage is indexed to the previous year’s consumer price index, which grew by 3.6 per cent in 2023.

The Common Front for Social Justice in New Brunswick says the increase still leaves a large gap between what individuals need to afford basic necessities, including food and shelter.

“We know that a living wage in New Brunswick is above $20 an hour right now in many cities and communities,” says Janelle LeBlanc, executive director of the Common Front for Social Justice.

The Canadian Federation for Independent Business says the wage increase is just one more addition to a list of growing industry expenses.

“There needs to be some kind of relief, from a tax perspective, that could be helpful,” says Louis-Philippe Gauthier, vice-president of the Canadian Federation for Independent Business.

In a statement, the provinces Post Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister, Arlene Dunn, says the government’s attention to minimum wage increases over the past five years has made the province competitive within Atlantic Canada.

“Predictable minimum wage increases, which we established in 2019, protect earners from increases in inflation and help businesses to be better prepared for increases when they occur,” says Dunn, in the statement.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s hourly minimum wage will increase by 60 cents on April 1, to $15.60 per hour.

Nova Scotia’s minimum wage will go up 20 cents to $15.20 on April 1.

Prince Edward Island’s minimum wage will get a 40 cent bump from its current hourly rate of $15 on April 1, followed by an increase to $16 per hour on Oct. 1.

With files from CTV's Nick Moore. 

For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.