On April 5, 2022, the Government of Ontario announced that starting October 1, 2022, the general minimum wage will increase to $15.50 per hour. Ontario had previously raised the general minimum wage to $15.00 / hour and removed the lower minimum wage for liquor servers in January 2022.
The wage increase slated for October 2022 is tied to the Consumer Price Index and means that workers earning the general minimum wage and working 40 hours per week would see an annual raise of $1768. Liquor servers who work 40 hours per week would see an annual raise of $5512.
Other wage increases effective October 1, 2022 include the following:
- Students under 18: $14.60 per hour (a raise from $14.10 per hour)
- Hunting, fishing and wilderness guides: $77.60 per day when working less than five consecutive hours in a day (a raise from $75); and $155.25 per day when working more than five consecutive hours in a day (a raise from $150.05)
- Homeworkers (those who do paid work out of their own homes for employers): $17.05 per hour (a raise from $16.50 per hour)
This wage increase follows previous announcements regarding the Working for Workers Act, 2022 (see our previous coverage on the proposed legislation including minimum standards for digital platform workers and employee monitoring policies and new requirements and increased penalties under the OHSA), which, if passed, would build upon this wage increase by expanding the minimum wage to digital platform (“gig economy”) workers for active hours worked.
We will continue to update our clients with information as soon as it becomes available. If you have any questions about the provincial announcement and the proposed legislation, or any questions relating to workplace law generally, please do not hesitate to contact a Mathews Dinsdale lawyer.
