The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Denare Beach Mayor Carl Lentowicz advises the Saskatchewan government carefully consider the potential impact of a proposed minimum wage increase. A coalition of labour unions, students and humanitarian groups is calling on the province to boost its minimum wage by over 20 per cent to $8.16 an hour. "That would be quite an increase, but it's a catch-22," said Mayor Lentowicz. "Some of the people that are in business can only offer a certain amount of money." The mayor believes a minimum wage of that level might also hinder unskilled people from entering the workforce because employers may be less willing to take a chance on them. "For someone without skills, it will be tougher," he said. While not part of the lobbying effort, Town of Creighton Alderman Valery Dixon is a strong supporter of boosting the wage. "We're falling behind other provinces," she said. "Whether it needs to be that amount [$8.16 per hour], I'm not sure." Given the proximity of Creighton and Denare Beach to the Manitoba border, Dixon would like to see Saskatchewan's minimum wage be on par with that of Manitoba, where the rate is $7. Parents who have to work for minimum wage suffer the most when the rate is low, in her view. "It's hard when you have to find a babysitter and you're not coming home with very much money," said Dixon. Leah Sharpe, spokesperson for the University of Regina Students' Union, one of the groups pressing for the raise, said $8.16 per hour would boost all full-time Saskatchewan workers over the poverty line. "We don't believe the government would encourage or promote state-sanctioned poverty," she told CBC. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business Owners is not lending it support to a potential pay raise, expressing concern about the potential impact on the economy and the number of jobs available. To deal with poverty, spokesperson Marilyn Braun-Pollon told CBC, minimum wage earners should pay less income tax. Currently, full-time minimum wage workers in Saskatchewan earn just over $13,300 annually before taxes. Under the proposed minimum wage of $8.16, they would earn nearly $16,400 before taxes. Here are the minimum wages across Canada and the date they took effect: 1) Nunavut -$8.50 (March 3, 2003) 2) Northwest Territories - $8.25 (December 28, 2003) 3) British Columbia - $8 (November 1, 2001) 4) Quebec - $7.45 (May 1, 2004) 5) Yukon - $7.20 (October 1, 1998) 6) Ontario - $7.15 (February 1, 2004) 7) Manitoba - $7 (April 1, 2004) 8) Saskatchewan - $6.65 (November 1, 2002) 9) Prince Edward Island - $6.50 (January 1, 2004) 10) Nova Scotia - $6.50 (April 1, 2004) 11) New Brunswick - $6.20 (January 1, 2004) 12) Newfoundland - $6.00 (November 1, 2002) 13) Alberta $5.90 (October 1, 1999)
