One week after the Manitoba government announced increases in minimum wage in the province, a new report says it will remain far below what is needed for a living wage.
Manitoba's phased-in approach will see the minimum wage go from $11.95 now to $13.50 in October, which will be second-lowest in Canada. A year after that, the hourly rate will go up to $15.
The Manitoba office of the Centre for Policy Alternatives calculates that a family of four, with two working parents, would require a wage of $18.34 per hour in Winnipeg, $15.66 in Brandon and $16.25 in Thompson to maintain a modest standard of living.
For Winnipeg, that's up from the $16.15 the think-tank calculated in its 2020 estimate.
A living wage is based on the principle that full-time work should provide families with a basic level of economic security by providing the income required for a family of four with two parents working full-time to pay for basic needs such as housing, transportation and food.
It should also enable a household to support the healthy development of their children and enjoy social, civic and cultural lives, the CCPA report says.
"The living wage is designed so young adults are not discouraged from having children and older workers have some extra income as they age," the report says.
With the potential for a recession on the horizon due to interest rate hikes and a high inflation rate — which topped 8.1 per cent in Canada in June 2022, the highest rate since 1983 — Manitoba's minimum...
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