British Columbia no longer has the lowest minimum wage in Canada after it jumped another 75 cents Tuesday.
The raise, which marks the second of three incremental increases planned in the province, brings the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour, matching those of Saskatchewan and New Brunswick.
It jumps another 75 cents in May 2012, which will tie B.C.'s minimum wage with Ontario for the second highest in the country at $10.25.
The increases, announced by Premier Christy Clark in March, are the first the province's lowest paid workers have seen in a decade.
Clark also ended the province's $6 training wage for employees with less than 500 hours of paid work experience.
Economists have attacked the plan, predicting it will cost thousands of jobs and make employers less likely to hire inexperienced workers.
And some business owners say it's hurting their bottom line. Dmitri Pantsios, owner of the Sunshine Diner in Vancouver, says he expects the increase to cost him $3,000 a month.
"It's another slap in the face," Pantsios said. "We don't want to increase the prices because nobody's going to come."
Alcohol servers are not receiving as big a raise, earning only an extra quarter per hour as of Tuesday. Their wage jumped to $8.75, and will increase another 25 cents in May to reach $9 an hour.
Clark has defended the incremental increases, saying employers were given time to predict and plan for the changes.
B.C.'s minimum wage now beat's Alberta's $9.40 and Yukon's $9 an hour.
Newfoundland, Northwest Territories and Nova Scotia all currently pay a minimum wage of $10 an hour. Nunavut pays $11.
