The Canadian Bazaar
TORONTO: Ontario plans to raise the minimum wage to $15 from January 1.
A bill to raise the general minimum wage from $14.35 to $15 per hour will be introduced in the Ontario Assembly soon.
Under the proposed changes, the special minimum wage rate for liquor servers would rise from $12.55 to $15 per hour.
Students under 18, homeworkers and hunting, fishing and wilderness guides would also see an increase in their special minimum wage rates.
Unveiling the plan on Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford said, “Ontario’s workers have been the unsung heroes of this pandemic. When we asked labour leaders what their priorities were, increasing the minimum wage was at the top of the list. As the cost of living continues to go up, our government is proud to be working for workers, putting more money into their pockets by increasing the minimum wage.”
Special minimum wage rates are also proposed to increase:
– 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 would see an increase from $13.50 to $14.10 an hour.
– Homeworkers (those who do paid work out of their own homes for employers) would see an increase from $15.80 an hour to $16.50 an hour.
– Hunting and fishing guides currently have a minimum rate of $71.75 for working less than five consecutive hours in a day, and $143.55 for working five or more hours in a day. Their new proposed rate would be $75.00 for working less than five consecutive hours in a day, and $150.05 for working five or more hours in a day.
