Ontario minimum wage goes up today; advocates say still not a living wage
Published October 1, 2023 at 8:02 am
Ontario’s minimum wage rises today to $16.55 an hour.
The increase is tied to inflation, and is up 6.8 per cent from the previous rate of $15.50 an hour.
The province first announced the increase in March, in order to give businesses time to plan.
Labour advocates and opposition critics have said Ontario should introduce a $20 minimum wage.
The Ontario Living Wage Network says a living wage in the Greater Toronto Area is around $23 an hour.
The Progressive Conservatives cancelled a planned minimum wage increase from $14 to $15 per hour after they took office in 2018, then raised it to $15 in January of last year and tied later increases to inflation.