Ontario Minimum Wage to Rise to $17.60 in October

Key Facts:

• Ontario’s minimum wage increasing from $17.20 to $17.60 per hour on Oct. 1, 2025
• Annual boost of about $835 for full-time workers (40 hours per week)
• Raise tied to 2.4% Ontario Consumer Price Index adjustment
• Province now holds second-highest minimum wage rate in Canada
• Federal minimum wage for federally regulated workers is $17.75 (since April 2025)

Ontario’s lowest-paid workers are about to see a pay bump. Beginning October 1, 2025, the province’s minimum wage will rise from $17.20 to $17.60 an hour, a change announced earlier this year and tied to inflation through the Ontario Consumer Price Index.

For someone working full-time at 40 hours per week, the new rate adds roughly $835 annually to their income. Officials say this increase keeps Ontario near the top nationally, with the second-highest provincial minimum wage across Canada, just shy of the $17.75 federal minimum wage introduced in April.

The raise continues a steady climb for Ontario’s wage floor — up from $14 per hour in 2018 to its new level of $17.60 in 2025. The adjustment comes at a time of ongoing debates over affordability and living costs in the province, as workers and employers alike prepare for the October change.