Ontario Increasing Minimum Wage on October 1O

Annual Increases Helping People in Their Everyday Lives

As part of its balanced plan to build Ontario up and help people in their everyday lives, Ontario is raising the general minimum wage from $11.25 to $11.40 on October 1, 2016 – the third consecutive year it has increased.

Minimum wage rates for liquor servers, students under the age of 18, hunting and fishing guides, and homeworkers will also increase at the same time.

In 2014, the government passed legislation to tie minimum wage increases to Ontario’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), providing annual, reliable increases to workers and predictability for businesses. As a result, full-time minimum wage earners in the province are making $2,392 per year more than they did three years ago.

This builds on progress the government is already making to support Ontario workers and help connect people with jobs including:

• Modernizing the province’s employment and labour laws with the goal of improving the lives of vulnerable workers, while supporting business
• Investing more than $1 billion a year in employment and training services 
• Helping low and middle income Ontario students with the cost of tuition in order to keep post-secondary education within the reach of all families, while building the best-educated workforce in the world
• Investments of nearly $174 million in 2016-17 for programs that support apprentices, employers and training delivery agents
• Improving access to labour market information and making it easier for job seekers to make informed decisions about their education, training and careers

Increasing the minimum wage in a fair and predictable manner is part of the government’s economic plan to build Ontario up and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economy and create jobs. The four-part plan includes helping more people get and create the jobs of the future by expanding access to high-quality college and university education. The plan is making the largest infrastructure investment in hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and transit in Ontario’s history and is investing in a low-carbon economy driven by innovative, high-growth, export-oriented businesses. The plan is also helping working Ontarians achieve a more secure retirement.

QUICK FACTS

• This is the 10th minimum wage increase since 2003.
• Minimum wage increases are announced by April 1 each year, and are in effect on October 1 of the same year.
• The primary sectors employing minimum wage earners are accommodation and food, retail trade and agriculture.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Visit Ontario.ca/minimumwage for more information about the new rates
• Know your rights and responsibilities under the Employment Standards Act