Ontario Increases Minimum Wage Today

The minimum legal wage paid to close to 11 per cent of all workers in Ontario rose by 25 cents on Thursday.

All new and renewing contracts with the university will also require that workers be paid the same minimum wage.

Earlier this year, the province announced future increases to minimum wage would be tied to the rate of inflation.

The provincial government says most minimum wage earners in Ontario work in accommodation and food, retail trade and agriculture.

The increases are in keeping with the spirit of Seattle’s $15 minimum wage law and would keep the University aligned with the timetable established by the city for large employers. Supporters of the Fight for $15 and Fairness campaign say the minimum wage must provide a full-time worker with income that is at least 10% above the poverty line. Subject to the successful conclusion of on-going negotiations with its unions, the increase will take effect in two stages: moving to $13 an hour on January 1, 2016, and to $15 an hour on January 1, 2017.

Indexation was an important demand advanced by those advocating for a higher minimum wage, a campaign that pushed the government to increase the general minimum wage from $10.25 to $11.00 after a four-year freeze.