**Ontario Minimum Wage Increases to $17.60 Per Hour** Ontario's minimum wage has officially increased to $17.60 per hour as of October 1, 2025. This marks a 40-cent increase, reflecting a 2.4 percent adjustment based on the Ontario Consumer Price Index. Approximately 800,000 workers will benefit from this wage boost. With this adjustment, Ontario now has the second-highest provincial minimum wage in Canada. The increase is part of the province's annual review to align wages with the rising costs of living, including food, clothing, and housing. In addition to the general minimum wage, the student minimum wage will rise to $16.60 per hour. Workers who perform paid tasks from home, such as sewing or answering calls, will see their minimum wage increase to $19.35 per hour. The province reports that a significant portion of minimum wage workers are employed in retail and accommodation sectors, with 36 percent in retail and 23 percent in food services. This increase in Ontario's minimum wage coincides with similar adjustments in four other provinces: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Despite the increase, some advocacy groups argue that the new wage still falls short of what is necessary for workers to meet their living expenses, particularly in urban areas like Toronto. The Ontario Living Wage Network suggests that workers in the Greater Toronto Area would need to earn at least $26 per hour to cover basic living costs, indicating a significant gap between the minimum wage and a living wage. Craig Pickthorne, communications director for the Ontario Living Wage Network, stated, "Employees making minimum wage in Toronto could still be $300 short from making ends meet every week, a deficit that keeps some in 'working poverty.'" The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has also highlighted the disparity, noting that to afford a standard one-bedroom apartment in Toronto without exceeding 30 percent of their income, a worker would need to earn at least $37.84 per hour. As the province continues to adjust the minimum wage annually, the debate over whether it adequately reflects the cost of living remains a critical issue for many workers and advocacy groups in Ontario.