Ontario's Minimum Wage Set To Increase In January & You Could See A Raise Of $1,350 A Year

Ontario workers who make minimum wage may be getting a raise for the new year.*

In a news conference on November 2, Premier Doug Ford announced that the government will propose legislation that would bump up the province's minimum wage rate to $15 an hour starting January 1, 2022, if passed. This change would mean a full-time minimum wage worker could see a raise of $1,350 a year.

On top of the general minimum wage rate increasing, liquor servers' would also be getting a pay bump from $12.55 an hour to $15.

"I've always said workers deserve to have more money in their pockets because they earned it, they've worked hard and put in long hours," Ford said in the conference. "The least the government can do is ensure we're making life more affordable for them by putting real dollars in their pocket."

Students under 18 who work an average of 28 hours a week or less while in school or working during a school break would receive $14.10 an hour (which is a 60 cent raise from the current $13.50 per hour).

Homeworkers could also see a pay raise from $15.80 an hour to $16.50 an hour. Hunting and fishing guides would get a rate of $75 when they work less than five hours a day and $150.05 for working five hours or more.

As of October 1, Ontario's minimum wage went up by 10 cents to $14.35 per hour.

Ford had previously cancelled the $15 hourly minimum wage raise three years ago which was a plan created by the former Liberal government that was supposed to take off in 2019.

The living wage rates for 23 regions in Ontario were recently updated but even with the upcoming minimum wage increase, it's still well below what some Ontarians need to make in order to comfortably live in their hometowns.

*This article has been updated.

This article's right-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.