Ontario's minimum wage is about to go up again and here are all the details

Ontario's minimum wage is set to increase on October 1, 2023, impacting more than a million people in the province who will see their earnings go up more than a dollar an hour.

Those at the province's base wage — more than 40 per cent of which are retail workers and around 25 per cent of which are in the hospitality and tourism sectors — will now receive $16.55 per hour versus the current rate of $15.50, marking a 6.8 per cent increase.

Students under the age of 18 who work 28 or fewer hours a week will also see their special minimum wage jump from $14.60 to $15.60 hourly, as will homeworkers, whose pay will rise from $17.05 to $18.20 an hour.

The minimum going rate for hunting, fishing and wilderness guides in the province will also change, from $77.60 to $82.85 per day (for shifts of less than 5 hours) and $155.25 to $165.75 per day (for shifts of five or more hours).

But, some have pointed out that the hike, though welcome, will have little impact on people's daily lives.

Since Ontario is again raising minimum wage next month, here's a breakdown of the numbers. Employers get screwed, employees receive very little extra (offset by increase in cost of living / inflation), & government comes out on top once again. #cdnpoli #onpoli #minimumwage pic.twitter.com/O4phpZbf5o

— Vinny Catraz 🏴‍☠️ (@CatrazVinny) September 28, 2023

The province noted in a release on the news back in March that the move would make Ontario's minimum wage the highest of any province, which is fitting given how brutal the cost of living here is compared to elsewhere in Canada. 

But, B.C. raised their general minimum wage from $15.65 to $16.75 an hour in June, and territories such as the Yukon also pay more ($16.77 an hour as of April). The lowest legal hourly rate for federally-regulated workplaces nationwide, meanwhile, is $16.65, just jacked up in the spring to keep up with inflation.

Even with this bump, many continue to say that minimum wage (and all pay in general) in Ontario is not enough to survive in cities such as Toronto, where rent is $2,898 on average and rising, with one-bedrooms going for a whopping $2,620 and the typical room in a shared home running tenants $1,302.

It’s definitely more than that if you want to live in livable conditions.

— Romit Samarth (@romitsamarth123) July 18, 2023

Analyses have shown that a person needs to make more than double the current minimum wage to live comfortably in T.O, another figure that is on the rise in the unprecedented inflationary landscape we are living in.

Many are also concerned about the disparity between what minimum-wage earners in different industries actually make given tipping culture, which some feel has gotten a little out of control now that liquor servers are getting the same minimum wage as those who don't earn tips.