Ontario’s minimum wage increase took effect on October 1. As of today, the general minimum wage for most employees in the province will rise from $16.55 to $17.20 per hour.
The boost in minimum wage comes in the backdrop of Ontario’s annual inflation adjustment.
Ontario’s minimum wage has become the second highest of all the Canadian provinces only behind British Columbia’s $17.40 per hour.
Ontario Labour Minister David Piccini announced the hike in March to give businesses “certainty and predictability” by sharing news of the increase ahead of time.
The government said a worker making the general minimum wage and working 40 hours per week would see an annual pay increase of roughly $1,355. It added 935,600 workers were earning at or below $17.20 per hour in 2023.
A separate report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives in July 2023 found that workers would need to earn $33.60 an hour to afford a one-bedroom apartment in Toronto — nearly double the newly increased minimum wage.