ONTARIO is increasing the general minimum wage for the fourth consecutive year, which will bring the wage up to $11.60 this fall.

Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn made the announcement on Friday in Toronto. The increase will come into effect on October 1. Full-time minimum wage earners in Ontario are now taking home $2,782 more per year than they did just four years ago.
Changes to the minimum wage are announced by April 1 of each year, and take effect on October 1. This gives businesses and workers time to plan for any increases.
By October 2017, the general minimum wage will have increased by almost 70 per cent since 2004, when it stood at $6.85.
The minimum wage remained frozen between 1996 and 2003. This will be the 11th minimum wage increase since 2004.
Special minimum wage rates that apply to liquor servers, students under 18, hunting and fishing guides, and homeworkers will also increase at the same time.
The latest rates are the result of changes to legislation that were passed in 2014 to tie minimum wage increases to Ontario’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of inflation. The move was a result of a recommendation by the Minimum Wage Advisory Panel.
The industries employing the most minimum wage earners are accommodation and food, retail trade, and information, culture and recreation.