- Minimum wage rising 50¢, By Larry Kusch, April 4, 2010, Winnipeg Free Press: “Coming Oct. 1, some 28,000 Manitobans will get a raise in pay. The province will announce today that it is raising the minimum wage this fall by 50 cents an hour — to $9.50. Business leaders hoped for a smaller increase — or no increase at all — at a time when many employers are suffering economically, while the Manitoba Federation of Labour sought a 75-cent-an-hour rise effective this past April 1. Labour and Immigration Minister Jennifer Howard said in an interview Wednesday the government tried to balance the needs of workers and business. The hospitality industry and seasonal agricultural businesses won’t incur higher costs until fall, she said. ‘Yet a 50-cent increase will allow us to maintain our position relative to other provinces… (and) also give those folks who earn minimum wage a significant enough increase that they would be able to buy things they need for their families…'”
- Minimum wage rises again in Man., April 8, 2010, CBC News: “Manitoba’s minimum wage is going up again and businesses are not pleased about it. The provincial government announced Thursday the hourly wage will rise 50 cents to $9.50. The change will take effect in October, said Labour and Immigration Minister Jennifer Howard. ‘This increase will help maintain the spending power of approximately 28,000 people working in minimum-wage jobs,’ she said. ‘The improved wage will give them a fairer income while helping Manitoba businesses recruit and retain workers.’ The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said the increase comes at a terrible time Shannon Martin, the CFIB’s director of provincial affairs in Manitoba, said the recession has hurt small businesses…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty