Ontario Minimum Wage Rises This Fall

Ontario's general minimum wage will increase on October 1, 2026, moving from $17.60 to $17.95 per hour for workers across the province.
The change was tied to a ~2% increase in Ontario's CPI, linking the new wage floor to recent inflation in the province.
Provincial officials said the higher wage is expected to benefit >700K workers, making this one of Ontario's broadest employment standard updates currently.
Ontario employers and HR teams have been urged to update pay rates, contracts, and job postings before October 1 to stay aligned with rules.
For Ontario workplaces, the coming change means payroll planning now matters, since the updated base wage becomes mandatory provincewide on October 1, 2026.