On January 30, 2014, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced that the minimum wage rate in Ontario will increase from $10.25 per hour to $11.00 per hour. The 75 cent per hour hike will come into effect on June 1, 2014. With the rise in minimum wage, Ontario will join Nunavut in having the highest minimum wage rate in the country.
In addition, the student minimum wage will also see an increase as the $9.60 per hour rate will rise to $10.30 per hour.
The new rate is the result of the rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is an indicator used to measure the change in consumer prices over time, since the last increase in minimum wage in 2010.
The province has assembled an expert advisory panel that plans to introduce legislation that will link all future minimum wage increases to the rate of inflation. As a result of this proposed legislation, future increases would be announced on April 1 of each year.
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This information is not intended as legal advice.