The Ontario government is increasing the minimum wage from $16.55 per hour to $17.20, effective October 1, 2024.
This 3.9 per cent annualized wage increase is based on the Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI) and brings Ontario’s minimum wage to the second highest in Canada.
It is understood that Nunavut has the highest minimum wage in all of Canada at $19 an hour.
“Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is helping nearly one million workers earn more money for themselves and their families,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “We are providing businesses with certainty and predictability by announcing this annual wage increase six months in advance, while also helping families offset the rising cost of living, so that Ontario continues to be the best place to live, work and raise a family.”
A worker making the general minimum wage and working 40 hours per week will see an annual pay increase of up to $1,355. There were 935,600 workers earning at or below $17.20 per hour in 2023, said a provincial statement.
This minimum wage increase builds on the government’s Working for Workers Four Act, 2024, which provides protections for millions of workers in Ontario, including strengthening wage protections for restaurant, hospitality and service workers by clarifying that employers can never deduct an employee’s wages in the event of a dine and dash, supporting injured workers and banning requirements for Canadian work experience in job postings – a first in Canada.
Quick Facts
- Under the Employment Standards Act, Ontario’s minimum wage increases annually based on the Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of inflation that represents changes in prices experienced by Ontario consumers. The CPI rose by 3.9 per cent, resulting in an increase in the minimum wage of 65 cents an hour, to $17.20.
- Ontario’s new minimum wage will be the second highest provincial rate, after British Columbia at $17.40 per hour.
- About 35 per cent of workers at or below the current general minimum wage of $17.20 per hour are in retail trade and 24 per cent are in accommodation and food services.