Ontario’s minimum wage workers are getting a raise this fall.
The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills plans to increase the hourly rate to $16.55 an hour starting on October 1.
It’s a 6.8 per cent increase from the current minimum wage of $15.50.
“Our government is putting workers in the driver’s seat,” said Labour Minister Monte McNaughton. “This latest increase is a fair and balanced approach that means more money in their pockets, so they can support their families and continue building a stronger Ontario for all of us.”
The increase is another $2,200 annually for those earning the minimum wage.
The majority of minimum wage workers are women. The Ontario government said just over 40 per cent of those in retail trade and almost a quarter of all accommodation and food services employees make the minimum wage.
The rate for students under 18 who work 28 hours a week or less will go from $14.60 to $15.60 an hour. Those who work from home will see their minimum pay increase to $18.20, and hunting, fishing, and wilderness guides who work less than five consecutive hours in a day will get $82.85 a day.
While Ontario will have the highest minimum wage of any province in Canada, those in Yukon will make the most when that rate rises to $16.77 on Saturday. The minimum for federal government workers is $16.65.
