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Ontario Raising Minimum Wage to $15 Per Hour

Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario

Ontario is proposing the largest increase to the minimum wage in the province’s history, raising it to $15 per hour, as part of a plan to create better jobs and fair workplaces. This will give more than a quarter of employees in the province a pay increase and will help ensure that more workers are benefitting from Ontario’s economic growth.

Ontario’s economy has outperformed all G7 countries in real GDP growth over the past three years, and unemployment is at a 16-year low. But the nature of work is also changing. People are working longer, jobs are less secure and benefits are not the same as they used to be. Many employees are working long hours and still struggling to support their families on the current minimum wage of $11.40.

Premier Kathleen Wynne was at the YWCA Toronto today to talk about the government’s plan to increase the minimum wage to $14 per hour on January 1, 2018, and $15 per hour on January 1, 2019, followed by annual increases at the rate of inflation.

Ontario is committed to moving forward in a balanced way. Ontario will work closely with businesses of all sizes to support them as these changes come into effect, so they can continue to succeed and keep the economy strong. Raising the minimum wage will help businesses by improving productivity, increasing employee retention and boosting the purchasing power of workers.

Creating fair workplaces and better jobs across Ontario is part of our plan to grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.

Quick Facts

  • Half of the workers in Ontario who earn less than $15 per hour are between the ages of 25 and 64, and the majority are women.
  • The minimum wage increase is part of a landmark package of proposals to help create fair workplaces and better jobs. This includes ensuring that part-time workers are paid the same hourly wage as full-time workers for doing the same job, introducing paid personal emergency leave days for every worker, expanding personal emergency leave and making employee scheduling fairer.
  • Earlier this month, Ontario released the final report of the Changing Workplaces Review, the first-ever independent review of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and Labour Relations Act, 1995.

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