Half of Workers in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador Earn Below Living Wage, Report Finds
A report released on November 9, 2026, by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives found that approximately half of workers in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador earn less than the living wage. Rising housing, transportation, and gas costs drove increases across P.E.I., Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador, with Labrador and northern Newfoundland reaching $30.50 per hour for the first time.
Approximately half of workers in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador earn less than what they need to cover basic expenses, according to a report released Monday by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
The study found that the average income needed to earn a living wage increased this year in P.E.I., Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Costs of housing, transportation, and gas contributed to the increases across the three provinces. The sharpest increase in the living wage rate was recorded in Nova Scotia’s northern mainland, mainly due to rising rent costs.
For the first time, the living wage in Labrador and Newfoundland’s northern peninsula surpassed that of Halifax, reaching $30.50 per hour.
Changes to how Statistics Canada measures the official poverty line and estimates costs for food, clothing, and transportation also contributed to the higher living wage calculations.
Report co-author Christine Saulnier called on the three provincial governments to raise their minimum wage rates. Current minimum wage rates in the provinces sit well below the living wage calculated for each province.
The report did not include the living wage for New Brunswick because the Human Development Council is responsible for reporting it there.