The Government of Saskatchewan announced on July 2 that the provincial minimum wage will increase from $14 to $15 per hour effective Oct. 1.
“Increasing (the) minimum wage is one way we are supporting workers in this province,” announced Don McMorris, Saskatchewan’s minister of labour relations and workplace safety.
“Saskatchewan also continues to have among the lowest personal taxes in Canada which makes it a great place to live, work, and raise a family.”
In 2022, the provincial government announced its commitment to incrementally increasing Saskatchewan’s minimum wage over a two-year period ending in 2024. When the announcement was made, the minimum wage rate was $11.81 and initially increased to $13.
In the two-year period established for the increase, the government’s plan was to raise the rate by $1 per year until it approximates Canada’s minimum wage average of $15.96 per hour.
Between 2007 – when Saskatchewan’s minimum wage rate was $7.95 – and Oct. 1, the minimum wage in the province will have increased by around 89 per cent.
When the increase takes effect, Saskatchewan will be tied with Alberta (which now sits at $15 per hour) for the lowest minimum wage rate among Canada’s provinces and will be $2.30 less than the federal minimum wage rate of $17.30 per hour. The federal minimum wage rate is applicable to federally regulated businesses.
The Government of Saskatchewan also announced that there are no new taxes or tax increases in the 2024 provincial budget. Since 2007, an official report states, tax reductions in the province have resulted in 112,000 low-income residents no longer paying the provincial income tax.
