Increase to $17.20 an hour follows passage of government’s fourth Working for Workers Act
News from the Ontario Government of Premier Doug Ford
Posted April 2nd, 2024 on Niagara At Large
TORONTO — The Ontario government is increasing the minimum wage from $16.55 per hour to $17.20, effective October 1, 2024. This 3.9 per cent annualized wage increase is based on the Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI) and brings Ontario’s minimum wage to the second highest in Canada.
“Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is helping nearly one million workers earn more money for themselves and their families,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
“We are providing businesses with certainty and predictability by announcing this annual wage increase six months in advance, while also helping families offset the rising cost of living, so that Ontario continues to be the best place to live, work and raise a family.”
A worker making the general minimum wage and working 40 hours per week will see an annual pay increase of up to $1,355. There were 935,600 workers earning at or below $17.20 per hour in 2023.
This minimum wage increase builds on the government’s Working for Workers Four Act, 2024, which provides ground-breaking protections for millions of workers in Ontario, including strengthening wage protections for restaurant, hospitality and service workers by clarifying that employers can never deduct an employee’s wages in the event of a dine and dash, supporting injured workers and banning requirements for Canadian work experience in job postings – a first in Canada.
A Brief Afterword by Doug Draper at Niagara At Large –
As of late 2023, the not-for-profit Living Wage Niagara calculated, based of the wages residents in Niagara need to pay for food, shelter and other necessities, that a living wage am0unts to a minimum of $20.35 an hour versus the $17.20 the Ford government is raising the minimum wage to now.
The good news, as Living Wage Niagara has reported over a number of years now, is that a growing number of businesses across our region have voluntarily decided to pay their employees a living wage – an investment that has proved to make for a happier, more productive work force and one that ultimately puts more money back into the local economy.
For more on this visit Living Wage Niagara’s report on this by clicking on – Niagara’s Living Wage Program Announces 2023/2024 Living Wage Calculation at $20.35 – Blog | Living Wage Niagara
To visit Living Wage Niagara’s home page for more information on this and related issues, click on – Home | Living Wage Niagara
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