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Yukon minimum wage boosted with little real effect

Workers pouring coffee and flipping burgers at the bottom of the pay scale will receive a 12-cent-per-hour raise as of April 1.

Workers pouring coffee and flipping burgers at the bottom of the pay scale will receive a 12-cent-per-hour raise as of April 1.

In response to recommendations from the Yukon Employment Standards Board, the government is set to raise the minimum wage.

A Yukon worker’s base hourly wage will increase from $8.25 to $8.37, second only to Nunavut’s base rate of $8.50 per hour after eclipsing the Northwest Territory’s $8.25 rate.

Over the course of a 40-hour workweek, the change amounts to an additional $4.80 in a worker’s pocket.

That’s enough to buy lunch at some fast-food restaurants, but not enough for a ticket to see a movie.

Of course, you could probably rent a movie — an old one — with the money, but you’d better walk to the video store: a round-trip city bus journey costs $4.

The Yukon’s minimum wage is set against the annual consumer price index, and is controlled by the Employment Standards Board. (TQ)