If you're working a minimum wage job in Ontario, your paycheque is about to get a bit bigger.
The province announced that as of October 1, 2025, the general minimum wage will rise from $17.20 to $17.60 an hour.
That's right — an extra 40 cents an hour might not sound like a game-changer, but it adds up. If you're clocking full-time hours (around 40 a week) making general minimum wage, you're looking at an annual boost of around $835.
That's not too shabby, especially at a time when every little bit helps with sky-high grocery bills and rising rent.
This increase is tied to Ontario's Consumer Price Index, which is basically the province's way of tracking inflation. As cost of living goes up, so does the minimum wage — a move designed to keep wages fair and predictable for both workers and businesses.
The change will make Ontario with the second-highest provincial minimum wage in Canada, just behind B.C.
Ontario students will also see their minimum wage increase, from $16.20 to $16.60 an hour on October 1. On that same date, the minimum wage for homeworkers will increase from $18.90 to $19.35 per hour.
These moves are part of Premier Doug Ford's government's goal to make Ontario "the best place to work, live, and raise a family."
Just last year, the province passed the Working for Workers Six Act, which aims to break down barriers to employment, support the workforce, and open more doors to skilled trades.
Ontario's minimum wage will have steadily rose from $14 in 2018 to $17.60 by the end of 2025.
Wage rates from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026
- General minimum wage: $17.60 an hour (40 cent increase)
- Student minimum wage: $16.60 an hour (40 cent increase)
- Homeworkers minimum wage: $19.35 an hour (45 cent increase)
So, if you're on minimum wage, mark your calendar for October 1. Your wallet will thank you.
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