HALIFAX — Nova Scotia recently announced its biggest minimum-wage increase ever. The rate will increase $1.30 in total this year, first rising to $15.70 per hour on April 1 and then to $16.50 on October 1.
“If this increase doesn’t come with real measures to help our industry, it’ll pose significant challenges for foodservice businesses and threaten the job stability of the 32,000 Nova Scotians they employ,” says Janick Cormier, VP, Atlantic Canada, Restaurants Canada. “We will continue to remind government that the restaurant industry is responsible for 4.7 per cent of Nova Scotia’s GDP and is a significant contributor to the tourism product of the province.”
Restaurants Canada has called on the Nova Scotia government to help the restaurant industry weather the minimum-wage increase by:
- Immediately delivering on its election promise to reduce the small business tax rate by one per cent and raise the threshold from $500,000 to $700,000
- Working with the federal government to make the HST holiday on restaurant meals permanent or at least extend it beyond the February 15 end date
- Providing a minimum-wage subsidy program to help restaurant employers transition, as was done in Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador previously
