Minimum wage increases across Atlantic Canada

Employment Standards / Wage Increases

Minimum wage workers in the Atlantic provinces are now earning a little bit more per hour.

The minimum wage in Nova Scotia increased $0.25 per hour last week from $16.50 to $16.75.

The raise is one of two scheduled increases, with the second increase bringing Nova Scotia's minimum wage in the province to $17 per hour on Oct. 1.

“Minimum wage workers show up every day in workplaces across Nova Scotia,” said Nolan Young, minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration.

“This increase means more money in the pockets of hard-working Nova Scotians to help pay for groceries, rent and everyday expenses. We will continue to raise the minimum wage in a fair and predictable way.”

Newfoundland and Labrador also raised their minimum wage to $16.35 per hour on April 1st. Their minimum wage is adjusted annually based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The minimum overtime rate is 1.5 times the minimum wage ($24.525 per hour based on the new 2026 rate).

The minimum wage in New Brunswick increased April 1st by $0.25 per hour from $15.65 to $15.90 per hour.

Prince Edward Island saw the biggest increase in minimum wage in the Maritimes last week.

Minimum wage on the Island jumped by $0.50 from $16.50 to $17 per hour, making it the province with the highest minimum wage rate in Atlantic Canada.

To learn more about the Minimum Wage throughout the region, please visit:

• New Brunswick Minimum Wage
• Nova Scotia Minimum Wage
• Prince Edward Island Minimum Wage
• Newfoundland and Labrador Minimum Wage

New 'RU Engaged' Program Connects First-Year Students to New Brunswick Through Service 

Work Experience / Social Services

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After eight weeks in the classroom, a group of 20 mostly first-year students spent their spring break staying in the community working alongside food-security organizations in New Brunswick. They helped build raised garden beds, unloaded food, served clients at the Unity Square Choice Food Pantry and prepared meals at the mobile soup kitchen for Elijah’s Promise.

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The weeklong experience was part of the RU Engaged Byrne seminar, a one-credit course focused on the issue of food security. The class aimed to connect first-year students to the community through a series of service projects and was capped with the RU Engaged Spring Break trip funded by a 2025 New Brunswick Chancellor’s Challenge Grant.

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CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Potential strike action looms closer at Nova Scotia retirement homes 

Health Care / Labour Relations

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Unifor members at Parkland Truro, Parkland Cape Breton, and Martha’s Place Antigonish retirement homes in Nova Scotia will be in a legal strike position as of April 16, after a No Board Report was issued by the Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration on Tuesday. 

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Key issues include significant wage gaps with long-term care counterparts in the NS Health Authority, lack of shift and weekend premiums, and slow progression through pay scales. The union has submitted bargaining proposals aimed to lift the lowest-paid classifications and bring other roles in line with industry benchmarks.

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CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Solar and battery storage project would power thousands of PEI homes

Utilities / Construction

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Maritime Electric and Lennox Island First Nation are collaborating on a proposed project that would provide renewable energy for western P.E.I. On March 31, the groups held an open house in Ellerslie, for residents to stop in and learn about the Na’ku’set Park utility-scale solar and battery storage project.

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Planned for the former airfield in Mount Pleasant, its 60,5000 solar panels are estimated to produce around 40,000 megawatt hours of energy — enough to power around 4,000 homes.

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CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Have your say on the draft co-operation agreement between Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada

Government / Public Consultation

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In May 2025, the Government of Canada committed to striking co-operation agreements with every interested province. These agreements will help achieve the Government’s goal of "one project, one review" while upholding Canada’s world-leading environmental standards and constitutional obligations to Indigenous Peoples.

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The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) invites Indigenous Peoples and the public to provide comments on the draft co-operation agreement between the Governments of Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada. Comments submitted by April 28, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET will be considered. All comments will be publicly posted.

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CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Canadian Job Development Network

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9 ways to turn LMI into employment outcomes

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This week for

#MotivatingMondays, we talked about how labour market information can be valuable to job developers and other employer engagement professionals. LMI is very much an untapped resource of business and economic activity that leads to ‘emerging job opportunities’. We discussed the importance of LMI and how critical it is to apply for jobs before the employer has even thought to place the advertisement.

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IN CASE YOU

MISSED IT

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Read the Apr. 7th Job Development Pulse

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Watch it on Youtube

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We make these sessions available EVERY WEEK on YouTube and most podcast platforms for people who can't attend in person. This could be a great diversion from the eternal question: why do some people get Easter Monday off and others have to work? 

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Email:

csaintcyr

@labourmarketsolutions.ca

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Website: 

www.JobDevelopment.org

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Next Topic:

Government pushes employers towards hiring youth

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Mon. Apr. 13, 2026

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Atlantic Labour Market Report

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