Ford government pledges to increase minimum wage to $15.50

The Ford government has announced another increase to the minimum wage in Ontario.

It announced the minimum wage will be going up 50 cents on October 1, 2022, to $15.50 — a move that’s tied to the increased rate of inflation.

This date is after the upcoming provincial election. The proposed wage increase to $15.50 per hour would take effect after Ontarians head to the polls in June.

This follows the Ford government hiking the wage to $15 in January, after initially cancelling plans to bring it to that amount when the party took office in 2018.

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Not only would the general minimum wage go to $15.50 per hour from $15, but Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government is also promising the student minimum wage, for those 18 years of age and younger, would go to $14.60 per hour, a raise from $14.10 per hour.

Labour Minister Monte McNaughton announced the planned wage increase on Tuesday, saying it would “help workers keep up with rising inflation.”

The province said the minimum wage raise is tied to the Ontario Consumer Price Index. McNaughton said Tuesday that the government would make an announcement each April about the planned minimum wage increase, based on inflation at that time, with the change to take effect in October.

“For workers out there, they can know under Premier [Doug] Ford that the minimum wage is going to go up every October,” McNaughton said, adding that the government is trying to “rebalance the scales” for workers as the province rebuilds from COVID-19.

Looking at the larger picture of this proposed wage increase, the province said workers earning the general minimum wage at 40 hours per week would see their annual pay rise by $1,768, and liquor servers working 40 hours per week would see an annual raise of $5,512.

Other provincial parties are making promises to boost the minimum wage if elected.

The Opposition New Democrats have said they will raise the minimum wage to $16 as of October 1 if elected to form a government and bring the wage to $20 per hour in 2026.

The Liberals are promising a wage increase to $16 per hour by Jan. 1, 2023, if they are elected.

With files from The Canadian Press.