Ontario minimum wage

Ontario government plans to cancel minimum wage increase

Doug Ford's Progressive Conservative government has announced that the minimum wage in Ontario won't be going up to $15 an hour in 2019 after all. 

The increase, which would have taken effect on January 1, was announced back in May of 2017 as part of then-Premier Kathleen Wynne's Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act.

Phase one of the program came into effect at the beginning of 2018, when Ontario's minimum wage jumped from $11.60 to $14 per hour (among other provisions meant to better protect workers in the province.)

Controversy ensued as business owners countered the measure by scrapping employee benefits, raising their prices or getting rid of positions altogether.

PC Labour Minister Laurie Scott said on Wednesday that, while the new minimum wage won't be rolled back, it also won't be raised to $15 as planned by the previous Liberal government.

The minimum wage will remain at $14 while the PCs conduct consultations on the issue, according to the Canadian Press, though Scott did not say whether or not it would go up in the future.

She did, however, say that there would be "some tax breaks" for Ontarians earning less than $30,000 per year. The government is still working out what, exactly, those tax breaks will be, or when they'll come into effect.

Lead photo by

Jessica Bell


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Toronto's Love Park pond just got drained because of someone's dumb stunt

Family of flies native to Ontario has a potent neurotoxic bite and even eats birds

These Ontario companies were voted among best places to work in Canada for 2024

Toronto just agreed on a solution to nightmare gridlock traffic on Spadina

Man walks on water in giant bubble to protest the loss of a Toronto beach

Canadians could cash in on proposed prescription antibiotics class action

Toronto to spend a combined $135 million on new island ferries and other upgrades

Toronto might be getting 'relief' ferries to handle overwhelming island crowds