New Brunswick will no longer have the lowest minimum wage in the country. The province will increase the minimum wage by $2 per hour in 2022. The 17 per cent increase is the largest jump in the rate since 1980. The rate increase will take place in two steps. In April, minimum will increase by $1 per hour.  In October, minimum wage will increase the full $2 amount to $13.75 per hour. This is the highest minimum wage hourly rate in all of Atlantic Canada.

“New Brunswickers are having a hard time making ends meet, and the current minimum wage has many people concerned,” said Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Trevor Holder. “Having represented an economically diverse area for many years, I have learned first-hand the challenges they are facing every day.”

New Brunswick has recently experienced a significant increase in the cost of living coupled with a challenging housing crisis. 

“We realize that given the current economic conditions, these additional increases are critically important,” said Holder. “This increase will help improve the standard of living of our lower-wage earners and ensure we are competitive with our neighbouring provinces.”

Just under 50,000 New Brunswickers will almost immediately from this change. This increase will benefit about 15,500 minimum wage earners, as well as 30,000 New Brunswickers who make more than the present minimum wage but still less than $13.75 per hour. After this change, New Brunswick will have the highest minimum wage hourly rate of all the Atlantic Canada provinces--a big jump from currently being Canada's lowest minimum wage rate.