January 1, 2018 Minimum Wage Rate Increase
On November 27, 2017, under Bill 148: Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, the Ontario government passed legislation increasing Ontario’s minimum wage effective January 1, 2018. The following table summarizes these changes:
|
Minimum Wage Rate |
Current Wage Rates |
Effective January 1, 2018 |
|---|---|---|
|
General Minimum Wage applies to most employees |
$11.60 per hour |
$14 per hour |
|
Student Minimum Wage applies to students under the age of 18 who work 28 hours a week or less when school is in |
$10.90 per hour | $13.15 per hour |
|
Liquor Servers Minimum Wage applies to employees who serve liquor directly to customers or guests in licensed premises as a |
$10.10 per hour | $12.20 per hour |
Human Resources is currently reviewing the impact of this change on affected wage grids. While the majority of our employees are not impacted by this change; there are some employees that require an adjustment to the new minimum on January 1, 2018. All existing employees falling below the new wage rates above will automatically be adjusted to the new minimum wage and this adjustment will be reflected on the January 11, 2018 pay deposit.
In addition to changes to the provincial minimum wage, Bill 148 has introduced a number of amendments to the Employment Standards Act that may impact current policies and processes. Human Resources is continuing to review these other elements of Bill 148 and their potential impacts. Human Resources is committed to communicating the outcome of that review, including any changes to HR policies or processes as additional information becomes available.