LAWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Minimum Wage

Oct 9: New Brunswick closed public consultations on the current provincial minimum wage, the first such consultations in 10 years. On the table is not just the minimum wage amount but how and how often it’s determined. The minimum wage is currently updated annually on April 1 based on the consumer price index.

Action Point: Find out how to avoid common payroll errors when adjusting to minimum wage increases.

Pay Equity

Sep 10: New Brunswick launched a series of in-person public consultations as part of the review of the Pay Equity Act, 2009. Sessions will take place in Fredericton, Campbellton, Grand Falls, Moncton, Woodstock, and Saint John. The government will also accept feedback via an online form, email, or mail until the consultation period ends on October 30.

Action Point: Find out more about pay equity laws and their practical impact on HR operations.

New Laws

Oct 1: Effective today, the New Brunswick government will not procure U.S. goods or services for significant contracts (estimated value over $5 million). The province will also explore additional tariff response measures, including potential legislation giving the minister of natural resources authority to restrict issuance of fishing and hunting licences and mining claims based on certain criteria. Meanwhile, NB Liquor will review its interprovincial purchasing and sales practices to identify opportunities to prioritize Canadian products.

New Laws

Sep 4: New Brunswick announced new supports for local businesses affected by the new U.S. tariffs, including working capital loans of up to $5 million to offset revenue losses, increased costs, or supply-chain disruptions. Opportunities NB has allocated up to $1 million from its market development funding to help affected firms grow sales in the province and across Canada.

Action Point: Find out about the 8 ways the U.S. tariffs affect Canadian workplaces and HR activities.

Training

Sep 11: New Brunswick eliminated the tuition fee for apprenticeship-level training. Apprentices will now be able to complete technical skills training without paying tuition, resulting in an average saving of about $2,720 over the course of their training. The tuition cost of technical training is $85 per week. Most apprentices complete four levels of technical training, each one lasting about eight to 10 weeks.

New Laws

Aug 4: The Climate Change Fund will invest nearly $64 million in 72 environmental projects across New Brunswick in the upcoming year. The package includes more than $6 million for three projects to strengthen the province's electric vehicle charging network and expand charging infrastructure, including $5 million to add 16 new fast chargers to the eCharge network.

New Laws

Aug 26: New Brunswick launched a public review on whether the province’s moratorium on natural gas development should remain in place. The review will focus on whether such a moratorium is justified under today’s science, technology, market, and regulatory best practices, especially given the “significant economic pressures” the province is facing.

Workplace Violence

Sep 11: Public consultations ended on proposed regulations allowing parents, guardians, and caregivers of a person between 16 and 18 years of age to disclose private personal information about a spouse, partner, or other person who poses a threat of domestic or intimate partner violence to government authorities where the disclosure is necessary to prevent violence.

Action Point: Domestic and intimate partner violence becomes an OHS issue and liability risk for employers when it happens at the victim’s workplace. Find out how to protect your employees from the risk of workplace domestic violence.

CASES

Discipline: History of Lax Enforcement Undermines Suspension of Forklift Driver

Did a senior Shipper Loader Operator with almost 40 years of excellent service deserve to be suspended for five days for carelessly backing his front-end loader of a truck? Based on video footage and witness testimony, the New Brunswick arbitrator ruled that the accident and resulting $23,000 in property damage was the result of the Operator’s negligence in not checking his exterior mirrors. But while discipline for negligence was appropriate—especially given the Operator’s failure to fully accept the blame for what happened—the penalty was too harsh given the company’s history of not meting out any discipline for similar safety incidents. Result: The arbitrator reduced the penalty from a five-day suspension to a written warning [United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, Local 683, on Behalf of Dale Barton v JD Irving Ltd (Grand Lake Timber), 2026 CanLII 78802 (NB LA), July 27, 2026].

Action Point: In addition to compromising a potential due diligence defence, a history of failing to enforce safety rules undermines your ability to impose discipline for future violations. Find out how to implement a legally sound progressive discipline policy at your workplace that you can use to enforce safety and other HR rules and policies.