Minimum wage is up in 6 provinces, but can it help ease affordability pressure?

globalnews.ca:

cost of living, six provinces raised the minimum wage over the weekend. However, advocates who have been calling for these increases say it may not be enough to ease pressure on working-class Canadians.The largest increase comes in Manitoba, where the minimum wage increased from $14.15 to $15.30 on Sunday.

Ontario, too, saw an increase of more than a dollar from $15.50 to $16.55. Nova Scotia, P.E.I.

and Newfoundland and Labrador all increased the minimum wage by 50 cents to $15.While Saskatchewan raised its minimum wage from $13 to $14, it remains the province or territory with the lowest minimum wage.“Saskatchewan presently has the lowest minimum wage in the country going into this increase and, in fact, over the course of several years we’ve either had the lowest minimum wage or the second lowest minimum wage in the country,” said Peter Glimer, an advocate from the anti-poverty advocacy group Poverty Free Saskatchewan (PFS).Gilmer said that while the latest increase doesn’t do much to bring people in the province up to livable standards, it’s not nothing.“Any increase is better than none, but in terms of catching up with both how far we’ve fallen behind in terms of inflation, but also in terms of how far we’ve fallen behind other jurisdictions, in terms of minimum wage legislation, this (increase) really doesn’t do it.”Suzanne MacNeil from Justice For Workers Nova Scotia said people in Halifax have had to work more than their regular 40 hours a week just to be able to make ends meet.“Things are definitely dire in Halifax,” MacNeil said. “Things are expensive across the province and this is now one of the more expensive places to live in Canada.”In Alberta ($15), Quebec ($15.25), B.C.