Photo: Image by kschneider2991 from Pixabay
By: Carol Baldwin
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wakaw Recorder
On October 1, 2026, the minimum wage in Saskatchewan will increase to $15.70 per hour. It is calculated using an indexation formula, which is said to give equal weight to changes to the Consumer Price Index and Average Hourly Wage for Saskatchewan.
“To keep Saskatchewan’s economy strong, we have tried to balance the need for an increase to the minimum wage with ensuring employers are able to continue to build strong businesses and opportunity for growth,” Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said. “Our low personal tax rates also continue to make our province a great place to live, work and raise a family.”
Since 2008, Saskatchewan’s minimum wage has increased by more than 90 percent, rising from $8.25 to $15.70 per hour by October 1, 2026. In 2022, the Government of Saskatchewan indicated it would make incremental increases to the minimum wage, which resulted in a 27 percent increase from $11.81 per hour to $15 per hour by 2024. With that commitment having been met, the indexation formula is again in place, which accounted for the $0.35 increase on October 1, 2025, and the upcoming increase announced for this year. Even accounting for the pending increase, Saskatchewan will still have the second-lowest minimum wage in the country, ahead only of Alberta, and “far below what a living wage would be.” (campaign2000.ca/SK-2025-Report-Card-on-Child-and-Family-Poverty) A living wage is the hourly rate a worker needs to earn to cover basic expenses, such as housing, food, transportation, childcare, and modest savings.
Critics of minimum wage increases tied to inflation metrics, like the Consumer Price Index (CPI), argue they do not fully capture the financial pressures on low-income households. Living wage calculations, by contrast, account for regional cost-of-living differences and family needs, offering a more realistic benchmark. Advocates, including labour unions and anti-poverty groups, continue to push for minimum wages to align closer to living wages to reduce income inequality and improve the quality of life of workers.
The pending increase to Saskatchewan’s minimum wage will result in an increase of $28 before deductions for an 80-hour bi-weekly pay period. Using the CRA’s payroll calculator, the bi-weekly take-home pay at $15.35/hr is $1035.03, whereas at $15.70/hr, the net take-home pay is $1054.58, less than a $20 increase.
The government’s news release heralds the increase as one more way to “help Saskatchewan residents manage rising costs and keep more of their money in their pocket.”
Saskatchewan holds the second-highest overall poverty rate of all the provinces, and the poverty rate has increased annually since the pandemic in 2020, when the poverty rate hit a low of 15 percent. Even with employment earnings, many families are still below the poverty line, with government transfers, especially the Canada Child Benefit, an essential source of needed income. (campaign2000.ca/SK-2025-Report-Card-on-Child-and-Family-Poverty)
Statistics Canada’s recent Consumer Price Index data shows that Saskatchewan is facing the highest food price increases in Canada. Over the past five years, prices for fruit, fruit preparations, and nuts have risen by 33.4%, outpacing the national average of 29%. In the last year, these prices further increased by 7.8%, while the national average was 4.8%. Dairy and egg prices in Saskatchewan have also seen a 3.1% rise, the highest one-year spike in Canada. Additionally, vegetable prices surged by 33.5% since 2021, with a 6.3% increase in the past year, ranking third in the country.
The situation is further complicated by the province’s poverty levels. The depth of poverty is measured by how much a family’s income falls below the poverty line, specifically in relation to the after-tax low-income measure (LIM). This is commonly known as the ‘low-income’ or ‘poverty gap.’ In Saskatchewan, low-income families experience the largest poverty gaps compared to families in other provinces.
The Saskatchewan Child Poverty Report Card, released in February 2026, outlines several recommendations. These include implementing a rental increase cap alongside the efforts to incentivize the construction and repair of affordable and below-market rental units. The report suggests following the approach of other provinces by introducing a child or family benefit which supplements the federal child benefit. It also recommends indexing social assistance benefits to inflation and covering utility costs, as well as increasing the Saskatchewan low-income tax credit and raising the income threshold to allow more families to access the full benefit. Furthermore, the report advocates for the continuation of efforts to deliver universal, $10-a-day childcare by improving accessibility across the province and increasing the province’s minimum wage to ensure competitiveness with other provinces.