On Tuesday, November 2, 2021, the Ontario Government announced that it will table legislation that, if passed, would increase the general minimum wage to $15.00 per hour effective January 1, 2022.
Specifically, the proposed changes to the minimum wage are broken down as follows:
- General minimum wage would increase from $14.35 per hour to $15.00 per hour
- Liquor Server minimum wage of $12.55 would be eliminated. Accordingly, liquor servers would be entitled to the general minimum wage of $15.00 per hour.
- Students under 18 who work 28 hours per week or less when school is in session, or work during a school break or summer holidays, would see an increase from $13.50 to $14.10 per hour;
- Homeworkers (who perform paid work out of their own homes for employers) would see an increase from $15.80 to $16.50 per hour;
- Hunting and fishing guides would see an increase from $71.75 to $75.00 per hour for working less than five consecutive hours in a day, and an increase from $143.55 to $150.05 per hour for working five or more hours in a day (consecutive or non-consecutive).
This announcement comes just one month after the provincial minimum wages were increased to their current rates on October 1, 2021. Once legislation is released, Mathews Dinsdale will provide further updates to this announcement.
If you have any questions about this topic or any other questions relating to workplace law, please do not hesitate to contact a Mathews Dinsdale lawyer.
