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Ontario's minimum wage increases by 8 per cent

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On Oct. 1, 2022, Ontario's new minimum wage will increase to $15.50 per hour, an eight per cent increase. The Liberals had promised minimum wage would increase from $14.00 to $15.00, which was scrapped when the Conservatives took power in 2018.

Since the 2018 provincial election, the Conservatives have increased the minimum wage from $14.00 to $14.35 in October 2021 and then pushed it up to $15.00 in January 2022.  

In October 2022, Ontario’s new minimum wage rates will be:

  • General: $15.50 per hour, a raise from $15 per hour
  • Students under 18: $14.60 per hour, a raise from $14.10 per hour
  • Hunting, fishing and wilderness guides: $77.60 per day, a raise from $75, when working less than five consecutive hours in a day; and $155.25 per day, a raise from $150.05, when working five or more hours in a day
  • Homeworkers (those who do paid work out of their own homes for employers): $17.05 per hour, a raise from $16.50 per hour

The minimum wage increase this fall is tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). In 2021, Canada's CPI rose by 3.4 per cent, which is the highest it has been since 1991 when the CPI rose by 5.6 per cent.  Ontario's CPI rose by 6.1 per cent in 2021. The CPI considers what a typical basket of food costs, however, doesn't take into account the cost of filling up a car or heating your home.

It means that workers earning the general minimum wage and working 40 hours per week would see their annual pay rise by $1,768. Liquor servers who work 40 hours per week would see a yearly raise of $5,512.

"The Oakville Chamber believes in fair compensation and wage increases that are planned so that businesses have time to implement the changes," France Fournier responded when asked about the increase.  "Our members tell us they are struggling to keep up with the increased cost of doing business but we also recognize that workers have also been impacted by the higher cost of living.