Paid sick leave, higher wages, more recycling: P.E.I. legislative changes on Oct. 1 [Video]

Some Islanders will be earning a bit more starting Tuesday, as the minimum wage is set to increase for the second time this year.

The lowest amount an hourly worker can earn will jump from $15.40 to $16 at the start of the month. This follows an increase on April 1 from $15 an hour.

But that isn’t the only change taking place as the calendar page turns over to October.

The province’s paid sick leave legislation also comes into effect, meaning some employees will now be eligible for up to three paid sick days per year.

Years of discussion

MLAs first started discussions about sick days in 2022 when the Green Party put forward an unsuccessful bill to mandate 10 paid leave days for all Islanders.

Previously, employees were only entitled to one day of paid sick leave, and three unpaid days, after working for more than five years for the same …