It may be April Fool's Day, and while it feels like a joke, this is no laughing matter.
On April 1, 2025, the P.E.I. provincial government confirmed it will not be increasing the provincial minimum wage during this round of adjustments, despite its Atlantic counterparts all making jumps.
Members of UFCW Eastern Provinces Council are shocked and appalled by the news and are pushing back on the government’s decision.
Several of our members on the Island rely on minimum wage plus wage scales – a format which ensures workers' wages always maintain a certain gap above minimum wage.
Despite inflation continuing to rise, wage increases are not matching. Minimum wage is the foundation which all other wages are based off, and without increases, it becomes increasingly difficult for all other negotiated wages from going higher.
“It’s disappointing to hear the province has chosen not to increase the minimum wage,” said Connor Kelly, UFCW Canada National Representative assigned to Local 864 in P.E.I., “The costs of everything are still going up, and to keep the minimum wage as-is means people are being forced to get by with less.”
The previous minimum wage adjustment on the Island was made on Oct. 1, 2024, with Islanders likely not to see another change to wages until Oct. 1, 2025.
