At the moment, Ontario’s minimum wage is $16.55 per hour. The hourly minimum pay for students is $15.60. If an employee works more than 44 hours a week, the minimum overtime rate is 1.5 times their usual pay rate. There could be some exclusions.
Increase in the Minimum Wage in Ontario:
The lowest salary a business is permitted by law to give its workers is the minimum wage. Most workers meet the requirements needed to be eligible for the minimum wage. Whether they get a flat rate, piece rate, or hourly compensation, as well as whether they are full-time or part-time employees, this wage rate will be applied.
It is common knowledge that the minimum salaries in Canada’s provinces and territories vary. Most rates are typically based on the CPI and are changed appropriately. On October 1, 2023, Ontario implemented an increase in the minimum wage.
Ontario Minimum Wage:
The minimum hourly pay in Ontario is now sixteen—55 dollars, starting on October 1, 2023. The province of Ontario has many specialty rates in addition to the bare minimum wage. Specialized rates are established for specific labor groups.
The minimum wage database and the official website of the Ontario government both include information on the rise in minimum wage in Ontario.
General:
- The majority of workers in Ontario are covered under the current known minimum wage rates.
- For general laborers, the current minimum wage is $16.55 per hour.
- This rate will be effective from September 30, 2024, to October 1, 2023.
- Before the start of October 2022 to September 30, 2023, this rate was $15.50 per hour; from the beginning of 2022 to September 30, 2022, it was $15 per hour; and from the first of October 2021 to December 31, 2021, it was $14.35 per hour.
Student:
- Ontario’s qualifying student workers are subject to this rate.
- Ontario’s minimum wage for students is now $15.60 per hour.
- The student minimum wages were $13.50 per hour from October 1, 2022, to December 31, 2021, and $14.10 per hour from the start of January 2022 to September 30, 2022, before October 1, 2022, to the end of 2023.
- The existing student minimum will remain in effect until September 30, 2024.
Liquor servers:
- In Ontario, the minimum salary for liquor servers is equal to that of general workers.
- Thus, until September 30, 2024, the minimum pay for liquor servers will be in effect.
- The minimum pay for those who work in hunting, fishing, and wilderness guiding is now $165.75 for more than five hours a day and $82.85 for fewer than five hours.
- Compared to the general public, liquor servers and students’ rates are regulated differently.
- Hiking, rock climbing, dogsledding, animal watching, survival training, backcountry skiing and snowshoeing, and other outdoor activities are typical activities for a wilderness guide.
- Earning $18.20 per hour is now the minimum salary for individuals who work from home.
- This minimum will remain in effect until September 30, 2024, for those who work from home.
The Ontario government provides information on the job these specialized and general workers perform on its website, as well as their prior pay, relevant minimum wage, and other details.
For employees who get a commission, there are further regulations about the three-hour rule, lodging and board, and other matters. Every one of these guidelines applies to various circumstances and worker kinds.
Employers may think about providing room and board to guarantee that workers are paid the relevant minimum wage. Only if the worker has inhabited the accommodation and eaten meals will this be regarded as pay.
The sum of money that an employer needs to cover this is –
- Cost of room: $31.70 (private) | $15.85 (public)
- Meals: 2.55 dollars each meal | a maximum of 53.55 dollars per week
- Weekly Rates for Rooms and Meals: 85.25 dollars for a private room, 69.40 dollars for a non-private room, 53.55 dollars for a non-private room for domestic workers
- Weekly housing costs for harvest workers: 99.35 dollars for serviced accommodation and 73.30 dollars for unserviced housing.
In 2024, When will the Minimum Wage Increase?
In Ontario, the yearly indexation determines the minimum wage. The inflation rate is used to create this annual indexation. Any adjustments to the minimum wage will be announced by April 1 at the latest. It won’t, however, take effect until October 1.
Therefore, if the government does decide to raise the minimum wage in 2024, it will likely start on October 1, 2024. A worker will be paid for two distinct pay periods if the minimum wage changes between pay periods. The workers will receive the minimal pay appropriate for each of them.
Many workers in Ontario are now receiving more pay thanks to the raise to 16.55 dollars per hour. Due to the recent hike, Ontario now has one of Canada’s most considerable minimum wage rates.
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