BUSINESS

Report urges Nova Scotia to boost minimum wage to $12.65 by 2021

The Canadian Press Published Tuesday, December 4, 2018 5:00PM EST

A Canadian dollar or loonie is pictured in North Vancouver, on March 5, 2014 (Jonathan Hayward / THE CANADIAN PRESS).

Text:

HALIFAX - A review committee says Nova Scotia's minimum wage -- the country's lowest -- should be raised 55 cents annually for the next three years.

The total increase of $1.65 would see the minimum wage increased from $11 to $12.65 an hour by 2021.

The recommendation is contained in a report released Tuesday by the province's Minimum Wage Review Committee that also says the formula used to calculate the rate should be changed.

Nova Scotia currently has the lowest minimum wage in the country, while Alberta has the highest at $15 an hour.

Labour Minister Labi Kousoulis is to make a decision on the minimum wage in January.

According to Statistics Canada, 6.6 per cent of Nova Scotia employees earned minimum wage between April 2016 and March 2017 -- with most under the age of 25 and working part-time, primarily in the retail trade, followed by the food and accommodation sector.