Minimum wage is now $7.95 as the provincial government completes a program it started 2 years ago to help low income earners.

 

A little extra jingle in the jeans of minimum wage earners around the province.

Effective Thursday, Saskatchewan's minimum wage has been increased 40 cents jumping from $7.55 an hour to $7.95 an hour. This is the 3rd and final stage of a three-stage increase that was announced in June of 2005.

Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Brian Martynook says the minimum wage earners will benefit but as a result business costs will likely go up.

Martynook would have preferred another solution to an increase to wages. "What we're always promoting is the fact our income tax exemption cutoff is around 8700 dollars where Alberta is around 15 thousand so were hoping that the government looks at maybe increasing that rather than increasing minimum wage."