The Government of Ontario has announced that, on October 1, 2023, the general minimum wage in the province will rise to $16.55 per hour.
This rise, from $15.50 per hour, amounts to a 6.8% pay raise for workers earning the minimum wage. A worker making the general minimum wage and working 40 hours per week will see an annual pay increase of nearly $2,200.
As things currently stand, on October 1, 2023, Ontario will have the highest general minimum wage of any province in Canada. However, as of April 1, 2023, the federal minimum wage in Canada has increased to $16.65 per hour. At present, Quebec’s hourly minimum wage is $14.25 an hour, British Columbia’s is $15.65, Alberta’s is $15.00, and Saskatchewan’s is $13.00.
The special minimum wage rates in Ontario will also increase. The minimum wage for students under the age of 18, who work 28 hours a week or less when school is in session or work during a school break or summer holidays, will rise from $14.60 to $15.60 per hour. The minimum wage for homeworkers, people who perform paid work out of their own homes for employers, will rise from $17.05 to $18.20 per hour. Finally, the minimum wage for hunting, fishing and wilderness guides who work less than five consecutive hours in a day will rise from $77.60 to $82.85 per day, while the minimum wage for hunting, fishing and wilderness guides who work five or more hours in a day will rise from $155.25 to $165.75 per day.
Update: The B.C. Government has announced that B.C.’s minimum wage will increase from $15.65 per hour to $16.75 per hour on June 1, 2023.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact a member of Miller Thomson’s Labour & Employment team.
