Earlier today, Minister Young announced Nova Scotia’s 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 does not come with real measures to help our industry, it will pose significant challenges for foodservice businesses and threaten the job stability of the 32,000 Nova Scotians they employ.
We will continue to remind government that the restaurant industry is responsible for 4.7% of Nova Scotia’s GDP and is a significant contributor to the tourism product of the province.
As you know, minimum wage increases put pressure on restaurants to raise wages for non-minimum wage staff and result in higher menu prices, making affordability even worse for Nova Scotians.