N.S. minimum wage to increase to $16.50 on Oct. 1

CBC

29 January 2025 at 10:34 am·1-min read

The minimum wage in Nova Scotia will increase by $1.30 before the end of the year. (Credit: iStock/Getty Images - image credit)

The minimum wage in Nova Scotia is set to increase from $15.20 per hour to $15.70 on April 1, then to $16.50 on Oct. 1.

In a news release, the province said the $1.30 raise in a year will be the largest minimum wage increase in Nova Scotia's history.

"Inflation continues to put pressure on families across the province. We need to do what we can to help," Labor Minister Nolan Young said in the release.

The Progressive Conservatives campaigned on a pledge to hike the minimum wage in last fall's provincial election.

Premier Tim Houston said at the time it would be an "investment in dignity for people" in response to the cost of living.

There were 33,700 Nova Scotians earning minimum wage between April and October 2024, according to the provincial government.

Previous changes to minimum wage include:

Oct. 1, 2022 - $13.60 an hour.
April 1, 2023 - $14.50 an hour.
Oct. 1, 2023 - $15 an hour.
April 1, 2024 - $15.20 an hour.

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