Saskatchewan’s minimum wage reaches $14 per hour

Saskatchewan’s minimum wage was increased today to $14 an hour.

But with the new increase comes the question of whether the minimum wage is yet high enough. According to Lori Johb, president of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour, the one-dollar increase taking effect Sunday doesn’t begin to scratch the surface.

“Fourteen dollars an hour, I mean, at one time would have been a great minimum wage, but in this day and age it’s certainly not even close to a living wage in Saskatchewan,” said Johb.
She said that according to a report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the living wage in Saskatchewan is much higher than the current minimum wage.

“If you live in Regina, the living wage is about just under 18 dollars an hour, and if you live in Saskatoon the living wage is just under 19 dollars an hour, so it’s $18.95 in Saskatoon and $17.90 in Regina,” said Johb.

“Fourteen dollars an hour is a long way from that.”

A living wage refers to the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet their basic needs. Johb said that many who can’t reach that living wage are forced to work multiple jobs.

“In many cases, you talk to people who are working two to three different jobs just to piece together enough so that they can pay their bills, and if they have kids, make sure their kids are able to access sports or do the things that kids like to do, and that’s important for kids. It’s really unfortunate,” Johb said.

“We also know that a lot of people who are minimum-wage earners don’t have the ability to work full time because employers that offer minimum wage don’t often offer full-time employment, so it’s really tough for folks. You know you talk to people who are stopping at the food bank on their way home from work, and if you have a full-time job, that should never be the case.”

As of last year, about 62,000 workers in Saskatchewan earned less than $15 an hour for their labour, which is roughly the populations of Prince Albert and Moose Jaw combined. Johb said that the times have changed, and the minimum wage is not the same as a living wage.

“The people that are making minimum wage are not high-school age people that are getting a job after school for a couple hours so they can buy the things they want,” Johb said.

“People that are making minimum wage are paying the bills and supporting their families, so it’s a different world now. It’s not the same as it used to be, and not only that, there’s no ability for people to find better jobs, like they talk about a labour shortage. You know what we have; we have a wage shortage. If people were getting paid what they need to live, they would be happy to work for you, but unfortunately that’s just not the case.”

Saskatchewan’s minimum wage will be increased again next year to $15 per hour, though it will come seven years after the campaign for a $15 minimum wage became a provincial rallying cry in 2017.