۴ý

Canada

    • Federal minimum wage, taxes on alcohol: Here's what's changing in Canada April 1

    Share

    Several major changes that could impact your wallet are on their way, some of which take effect April 1.

    The federal minimum wage is set to increase by $1.10—from $15.55 per hour to $16.65—and you may end up paying more for gas and alcohol as of Saturday.

    MINIMUM WAGE

    The minimum wage increase is meant to keep up with inflation and is based on the consumer price index, which rose 6.8 per cent last year, according to the federal government.

    This wage increase only applies to federally-regulated private sectors such as banks, postal and courier services and interprovincial air, rail, road, and marine transportation. The government says the increase will help around 26,000 Canadian workers make life more affordable.

    If the minimum wage is higher in the province or territory you live in, your employer must pay the higher amount.

    Here are the provinces and territories where the minimum wage is set to increase on April 1:

    • : $13.50 to $14.15
    • : $13.75 to $14.75
    • : $13.70 to $14.50
    • : $13.60 to $14.50
    • : $15.70 to $16.77

    To learn more about minimum wage in Canada, .

    ALCOHOL TAX

    The excise tax on alcohol was set to increase by 6.3 per cent April 1, which would have been the largest hike in more than 40 years. However, the after outcry from microbrewers and distillers.

    The temporary cap will only remain in effect for a fiscal year, but it’s still a major win for those in the industry, according to Beer Canada president CJ Hélie.

    The federal alcohol tax raises automatically based on inflation each year, which is why the planned increase was so high at 6.3 per cent. It is separate from provincial fees and sales taxes.

    The government expects to collect , according to federal documents.

    CARBON PRICE

    Expect to pay more at the pumps when you fill up your vehicle starting Saturday, as the federal government’s carbon pricing increases from $50 per tonne to $65 per tonne. The Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation says that change will amount to 14.31 cents per litre of gas, up from 11.05 cents per litre.

    B.C. NATURAL GAS PRICES

    People living in starting April 1.

    After getting approval from the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC), FortisBC is lowering the amount it charges for natural gas.

    FortisBC will charge $4.159 per gigajoule for gas, $1 less than its previous rate of $5.159. The price will remain in effect until June 30.

    FortisBC changes what it charges for natural gas every fiscal quarter (with BCUC approval) to reflect the cost of acquiring natural gas at market-based prices.

    People in the Lower Mainland will save about $7.50 every month on their bill on average, or about seven per cent, according to FortisBC estimates. In northeast B.C. around Fort Nelson, people could save an average of $10.40.

    Correction

    A previous version of this story stated an Ontario recycling program implementing fees on certain beverage containers would begin on April 1. The Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association announced earlier in March that it was changing its launch date in Ontario from April 1 to June 1, 2023. The story has removed mention of the recycling program to reflect this.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    The Maritime Sikh Society says the body of a young employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax last weekend was found by her mother.

    Four people are dead and another is in hospital after a Tesla driving through downtown Toronto at a high rate of speed crashed into a guardrail and struck a concrete pillar on Lake Shore Boulevard.

    Montreal police say four teenagers suffered stab wounds after an altercation near John F. Kennedy High School in the city's Villeray—Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension borough on Thursday.

    The Ottawa Police Service has identified the woman who was stabbed to death at Paul Landry Park on Uplands Drive Thursday morning.

    • With the final results of the B.C. election still pending, speculation is rampant about what concessions the Greens might ask for to prop up a potential NDP minority – and it could be a common philosophy about health care that ultimately helps forge an alliance.

    • Crews removed approximately 50 tonnes of "fatbergs" from the sewer system in Richmond, B.C., earlier this month, according to Metro Vancouver.

    • The Canadian government's plan to reduce the number of immigrants entering the country could impact B.C.'s housing affordability.

    • U.S. authorities earlier this year knew the whereabouts of a former Canadian Olympian who is now on the run for allegedly running a transnational drug trafficking ring and orchestrating murders in Ontario, according to Ontario court documents.

    • Four people are dead and another is in hospital after a Tesla driving through downtown Toronto at a high rate of speed crashed into a guardrail and struck a concrete pillar on Lake Shore Boulevard.

    • It's a dream for many Canadians, trying to save up enough money for a down payment on their very first home. That was also the dream for the Esmeralda family, a family of five with two dogs who currently live in a Scarborough apartment building.

    • Alberta's government and meat producers worry a bill about preventing and preparing for future pandemics could be harmful to the agriculture industry.

    • A Calgary business owner is frustrated and looking for answers after Google removed his business' profile without warning, resulting in a loss of bookings and damage to his company’s reputation.

    • A house in southeast Calgary is expected to be very, very busy on Halloween.

    • The Ottawa Police Service has identified the woman who was stabbed to death at Paul Landry Park on Uplands Drive Thursday morning.

    • A new organization that aims to help people struggling with addiction officially launched in Ottawa Thursday, named after the late Matthew Perry.

    • T&T Supermarket's second Ottawa store is officially open. The Asian grocery chain opened its new 38,000 sq. ft. store at the Hazeldean Mall Thursday morning.

    • Montreal police say four teenagers suffered stab wounds after an altercation near John F. Kennedy High School in the city's Villeray—Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension borough on Thursday.

    • October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and on Thursday the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation held a brunch in downtown Montreal featuring a special guest: Matthew Knowles.

    • A new tree-planting pilot project in Plateau-Mont-Royal is drawing criticism for eliminating parking spaces in a borough already facing limited parking, as well as for its cost.

    • Some Edmonton public school support staff walked off the job Thursday morning, after the province stepped in on Wednesday to prevent strike action.

    • The man who cut up the body of his grandson's mother is going to prison after the Alberta Court of Appeal overturned his previous sentence.

    • The City of Edmonton says staying proactive has helped keep its 90,000 elm trees relatively untouched by the devastating Dutch elm disease (DED).

    • The Maritime Sikh Society says the body of a young employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax last weekend was found by her mother.

    • WorkSafeNB is investigating after a man was killed in a workplace incident at a tire shop in Moncton, N.B., last week.

    • The Nova Scotia Liberals are accusing former member Fred Tilley of accessing party files one day before he crossed the aisle to join the Progressive Conservatives.

    • The Manitoba man who brutally murdered his partner and two young children stood in court, voice wavering, and apologized for his actions that ended the lives of three people he said he loved very much.

    • A pair of councillors in the RM of Springfield plan on bringing forward a motion to opt out of Plan 20-50 when they are first able to.

    • A Winnipeg teenager has been charged with multiple offences after a stolen car crashed in St. Boniface Thursday morning.

    • After two days of advance polls, more than 119,000 people have already cast a ballot in-person for the 2024 Saskatchewan election.

    • A man is dead and two other people were injured in a two vehicle collision north of Regina on Wednesday evening.

    • Regina police says a reward of up to $50,000 is available for information that leads to the arrest of Daniel 'Juma' Drie Atem, who officers say is responsible for a murder that occurred downtown in the summer of 2023.

    • Fire crews responded to a house fire in St. Clements Thursday night.

    • Erick Buhr, the man on trial for second-degree murder in the death of his grandmother Viola Erb, took the stand Thursday to testify in his own defense.

    • One Ontario couple is taking a different approach to growing their family.

    • The Saskatchewan RCMP is calling off its dangerous persons alert after two people were arrested in the Tobin Lake area Thursday afternoon.

    • A former tire recycling company in Saskatoon is announcing additional layoffs months after a dispute with the provincial government.

    • Saskatoon police are investigating a series of suspicious fires that were lit in the Mayfair neighbourhood on Thursday morning.

    • The Maritime Sikh Society says the body of a young employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax last weekend was found by her mother.

    • The Gathering Place board chair Peter Gregory is vowing to fight to keep the doors to the Cassells Street soup kitchen open after the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board denied their six-figure funding request.

    • Greater Sudbury Police have released a photo of a person they say escaped by driving their motor vehicle on a sidewalk past pedestrians and then the wrong way down a one-way street.

    • When she took the stand at a London courthouse on Thursday, 21-year-old Kaiah Edmonds testified that she arrived at the bush party off of Pack Road in a vehicle driven by one of the accused - Carlos Guerra Guerra.

    • Hundreds of students got a taste of the numerous jobs available in Ontario’s agriculture industry earlier this month in Listowel.

    • London police are asking for the public’s help identifying a suspect involved in a robbery on Sunday.

    • The cost of living is increasing, from groceries to gas, prices are consistently going up, and now there’s controversy surrounding paying for parking at hospitals.

    • A haunted house in the Ontario Town of Innisfil is causing a real scare for some people a week before Halloween.

    • Emergency crews were called to attend a fire that broke out in a grassy area in Barrie on Thursday morning.

    • A former Lakeshore man is facing a 10-year prison sentence after he was found guilty on drug charges.

    • Speeding along Walker Road is a concern for residents who live, work and drive through the major Windsor artery, but according to one city councillor, implementing traffic calming measures is not a feasible solution.

    • The Chatham-Kent Police Service is investigating an indecent act report it received.

    • As the RCMP prepare to strap cameras to the chests of front-line police officers, an expert warns they might not work — at least, not in the way some had hoped.

    • Mounties on Vancouver Island are investigating after a set of popular driftwood sculptures was reportedly stolen last week.

    • Voting officials say recounts in two ridings that could determine the outcome of British Columbia's election won't start until Sunday afternoon — and it won't be until Monday before the makeup of the legislature is finalized.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass deserves a better shot at becoming a significant tourism hub than the UCP government is giving it, an NDP shadow minister said as the southeastern Alberta community gears up for a coal mining plebiscite.

    • A three-game road trip across the prairies got off on a sour note Wednesday night as the Medicine Hat Tigers defeated the Calgary Hitmen 4-2.

    • A town in southern Alberta will be one of the first to let golf carts be driven on select roads as part of a provincial pilot program.

    • A critical piece of the Sault’s homeless outreach strategy is almost ready to hit the road.

    • Police seized drugs, $70,000 and a large gold chain in a drug trafficking bust earlier this month in Thunder Bay.

    • An annual event held in Sault Ste. Marie is back for the 29th year to ensure local kids get the winter clothing they need as the temperature dips.

    N.L.

    Local Spotlight

    A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    A meteor lit up our region's sky last night – with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

    A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

    Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • A Toronto man who only recently checked a Lotto 6/49 lottery ticket he bought back in June is now $2.5 million richer.

    • A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    Sports

    Autos

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at ۴ý. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow ۴ý