As New Brunswick’s minimum wage is set to increase, so is the cost of some goods in the province.
On Saturday, April 1, those who make minimum wage will see a $1-per-hour increase to $14.75.
The increase is indexed to the province’s consumer price index, which grew 7.3 per cent in 2022.
Figures provided by the province show there are about 19,000 minimum wage earners in New Brunswick, or about 5.7 per cent of the paid workforce.
The minimum wage is also going up for federal workers. It will increase by $1.10 to $16.65 an hour.
Ottawa based the increase on the national consumer price index which rose 6.8 per cent.
Meanwhile, the cost power and, in some cases, heat your home will also become more expensive.
NB Power’s proposed 4.8 per cent rate hike will take effect on April 1. It received approval from the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board (NBEUB) on Friday.
Spokesperson Dominique Couture said the average residential customer will pay an extra $8.64 per month.
Last October, the Crown corporation filed an application with the EUB seeking an 8.9 per cent rate hike.
But in a partial decision earlier in March, the board said it is not satisfied that the rates, as NB Power applied for, are “just and reasonable.”
NB Power was directed to refile its 2023-24 budget with a number of adjustments identified by the board.
Also on Saturday, the excise tax on alcohol will increase two per cent across the country.
It was set to go up 6.3 per cent but the federal government capped the increase in this week’s federal budget.
New Brunswickers were also set to see a 3.3-cent increase in the carbon tax of regular gasoline as of April 1.
But with the province deciding to join the federal backstop, that increase has been delayed until July 1. Residents will pay 14.3 cents per litre, up from the current 11 cents.
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