Manitoba to raise minimum wage to $15.30 in October

Manitoba says minimum wage in the province will rise to $15.30 an hour on Oct. 1.

Minimum wage in Manitoba is $13.50 an hour. It’s set to increase to $14.15 on April 1.

Labour and Immigration Minister Jon Reyes says October’s increase will put Manitoba in the top three provinces when it comes to minimum wages.

Reyes says raising the minimum wage will help workers deal with the rising cost of living, and having it phased in will give employers time to adjust.

“To balance the financial realities of Manitoba workers and the economic challenges for small businesses, we implemented a phased-in approach that will help more Manitobans get ahead,” Reyes said.

But it’s still not enough, according to the Manitoba Federation of Labour.

The group argues the $15.30 minimum wage will still fall short $3 short of a proper living wage.

“Rising prices at the grocery store and in the cost of housing are making it harder for working families to make ends meet, and these high costs are hitting low-income workers the hardest,” said MFL president Kevin Rebeck in a statement.

The MFL says Manitoba’s wiminum wage will still be “well below the poverty line.”

“The (Heather) Stefanson government’s funding formula keeps people in poverty, and will never lift them out. It is an insult to basic human dignity to have Manitobans working full-time and still living in poverty.”

Under a subsidy announced by the province last fall, businesses with up to 20 workers can apply for up to 50 cents an hour for each worker earning minimum wage.

—With files from The Canadian Press