Minimum wage in Ontario, other Canadian provinces increases

The minimum wage in four provinces is going up today.

The rate in Ontario is rising by 65 cents to $17.20 an hour, an increase tied to inflation.

Saskatchewan’s minimum wage is going up by a dollar to $15, but it will still be the lowest in Canada, along with Alberta.

In Manitoba, the rate is going up by 50 cents to $15.80, a hike that follows a formula set in provincial law tied to the rate of inflation of the previous calendar year.

And in Prince Edward Island, the minimum wage is increasing by 60 cents to $16, which comes after a 40-cent hike earlier this year.

British Columbia has the highest minimum wage of all the provinces at $17.40, while Nunavut’s $19 an hour is the highest across Canada.

The federal minimum wage, which the government says affects some 30,000 employees in the federally regulated private sector, is $17.30 an hour.