Minimum wage in Yukon set to go up to $15.20 next month

Yukon's minimum wage is going up by $1.35 next month.

Beginning Aug. 1, the minimum hourly wage will go from $13.85 to $15.20, following an agreement made this past spring between the Yukon government and the Yukon NDP Caucus.

The confidence and supply agreement, announced in April, saw the minority Liberals create a "formal bridge" with the NDP caucus and laid out 16 wide-ranging policy initiatives — including the minimum wage hike.

In a statement from the government this week, NDP Leader Kate White called the wage bump "an important step in the right direction" for workers.

"We have been fighting for an increase to minimum wage for a long time and we're so glad to finally see it coming into force," she said.

Yukon joins other provinces, territories

Yukon's minimum wage last went up in April, from $13.71 to $13.85.

Yukon's Chamber of Commerce has previously spoken out against wage increases in the territory, saying they will lead to negative impacts on the economy, such as employers scaling back hours or reducing their number of employees.

Yukon will now join several other Canadian jurisdictions that have already bumped up their minimum wage over $15.

That includes British Columbia, Alberta and Nunavut.

The Northwest Territories will also bump its minimum wage to $15.20 beginning on Sept. 1.

The federal minimum wage, affecting workers in the federally-regulated private sector, is also set to increase to $15 at the end of the year.