New laws and rules coming to Ontario next month

Several new laws and changes will be coming to Ontario in October 2025 that will affect everyday workers and businesses.

From minimum wage increases to the end of certain employment insurance measures, there are many regulatory changes you need to be aware of that will come into effect next month.

Here are all the new laws and rules coming to Ontario in October.

Minimum wage increase

The Ontario government will officially increase the minimum wage from $17.20 to $17.60 an hour, effective Oct. 1, 2025.

The increase was based on the Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 2.4 per cent and will bring  Ontario’s minimum wage to the second-highest provincial rate in Canada. The Ontario CPI is a measure of inflation that represents changes in prices experienced by consumers.

Under the increase, a worker making the general minimum wage and working 40 hours per week will see an annual pay increase of up to $835.Since 2018, Ontario’s minimum wage has increased from $14 per hour to $17.60 next month.

Along with the general minimum wage increase, the student minimum wage is also set to increase from $16.20 per hour to $16.60 per hour. The rate applies to students under the age of 18 who work 28 hours a week or less when school is in session or work during a school break or summer holidays.

If the minimum wage rate increase comes into effect halfway through your pay period, it will be treated as two separate pay periods, and you’ll be entitled to at least the minimum wage that applies in each.

End of temporary Employment Insurance (EI) measures 

Back in March, the federal government introduced three temporary EI measures aimed at improving access and entitlement to income supports for workers whose jobs were affected by the threat of tariffs. The three measures are set to come to an end on Oct. 11, 2025.

The first measure — waiving the one-week EI waiting period — meant that some EI claimants could receive an extra week of benefits, and helped workers adjust more easily to a drop in income after a layoff. The measure applies to claims that began on or after March 30, 2025, but no later than Oct. 11, 2025.

The measures also allowed claimants to receive EI benefits sooner by suspending the rules around treatment of severance, which meant that monies paid by reason of a layoff or separation from employment were not considered for EI benefit purposes.

The third measure artificially adjusted the EI unemployment rate by one percentage point in all EI regions, up to a maximum of 13.1 per cent, with no region seeing less than 7.1 per cent. The measure temporarily reduced the hours required to qualify for regular benefits to no higher than 630 hours and increased the weeks of entitlement by up to four additional weeks.

Changes in support for Ontario businesses 

Back in April, the Ontario government announced that it would be providing roughly $11 billion in support for workers and businesses under the impact of U.S. tariffs.

"In the face of President Trump's attacks on Ontario's economy, our government will do whatever it takes to protect Ontario workers and businesses. Today's measures will help give workers and businesses the support they need in the face of growing economic uncertainty," said Premier Doug Ford at the time.

"The best way to protect Ontario is to build the most competitive economy in the G7, breaking down internal trade barriers and diversifying our trade so we can build a more resilient, prosperous and secure province."

As a result, the province deferred select provincially administered taxes for six months, starting from April 1, 2025, providing businesses and job creators with approximately $9 billion in cash flow. This period is set to come to an end on Oct. 1, 2025. All taxes owed must also be paid by Oct. 1, 2025.