Which 5 provinces will increase minimum wage rates on Oct. 1?

As of Oct. 1, minimum wage rates will increase in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

The minimum wage is a basic labour standard that sets the lowest wage rate that an employer can pay to employees. All Canadian jurisdictions have a general minimum wage rate, which is always defined as an hourly rate.

Some jurisdictions have special categories of employees who are excluded from the general minimum wage provision and they often have a different minimum wage.

• The rate in Saskatchewan will rise from $15.00 per hour to $15.35 on Oct. 1, 2025.
• Manitoba’s wage will rise from $15.80 per hour to $16.00 per hour as of Oct. 1, 2025.
• Minimum wage rates in Ontario will increase on Oct.1, 2025, tied to the Ontario Consumer Price Index. The general minimum wage will be $17.60 per hour while the student rate will be $16.60.
• The minimum wage in Nova Scotia rose to $15.70 on April 1, 2025 and will rise to $16.50 on Oct. 1, 2025.
• As of Oct. 1, 2025, the minimum wage rate in P.E.I. will increase to $16.50 per hour; it will rise again on April 1, 2026 to $17.00 per hour.

About one in three (32 per cent) of Canadian companies say mandatory minimum wage hikes result in increased salaries/wages across the entire company – not just for minimum wage workers.

Current minimum wage in other provinces, territories

The minimum wage rate ranges from $15.00 to $19.75 per hour across the rest of Canada:

• The federal rate is $17.75; If the minimum wage of the province or territory where the employee usually works is higher than the federal minimum wage, the employer is to pay the higher minimum wage.
• B.C.’s minimum wage is $17.85 per hour, effective June 1, 2025.
• On April 1, 2025, the Yukon's minimum wage rose to $17.94 per hour. The minimum wage increases every year on April 1.
• Alberta’s minimum wage is $15 per hour, but $13 for students under the age of 18.
• Using a new calculation, Nunavut’s minimum wage rose to $19.75 per hour effective Sept. 1, 2025. The rate will now be adjusted annually on September 1 using a formula based on the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Iqaluit and the percentage change in the average hourly wage in Nunavut for the previous year.
• In Quebec, the general minimum wage rate is $16.10 an hour. The minimum wage for employees receiving gratuities and tips is $12.90 per hour.
• New Brunswick’s, as of April 1, 2025, is $15.65 per hour.
• Newfoundland and Labrador’s minimum wage is $16.00 as of April 1, 2025.
• Effective Sept. 1, 2025, the Northwest Territories minimum wage increased from $16.70 per hour to $16.95 per hour.