Ontario minimum wage rises to $16.55 an hour; advocates say still not a living wage

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Ontario’s minimum wage rises today to $16.55 an hour.

The increase is tied to inflation, and is up 6.8 per cent from the previous rate of $15.50 an hour.

The province first announced the increase in March, in order to give businesses time to plan.

Labour advocates and opposition critics have said Ontario should introduce a $20 minimum wage.

The Ontario Living Wage Network says a living wage in the Greater Toronto Area is around $23 an hour.

The Progressive Conservatives cancelled a planned minimum wage increase from $14 to $15 per hour after they took office in 2018, then raised it to $15 in January of last year and tied later increases to inflation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2023.