On September 15th, the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce submitted its recommendations to the provincial Employment Standards Board’s Annual Minimum Wage Rate Review.
Member concerns were presented around the timing and frequency of rate increases, the inequity between the rates of change of minimum wage and the consumer price index, and the status of Prince Edward Island’s basic personal tax exemption. These concerns are born from a process that lacks predictability, transparency, and fairness.
Recommendations to the Board included that government: announce the new minimum wage rate no later than six months prior to the scheduled increase; mandate future increases to minimum wage be tied to increases in the consumer price index; continue to increase basic personal tax exemption, and tie any further increases to the consumer price index; develop a long-term strategy for minimum wage.
Click here to access and download a copy of the submission.