Starting Oct. 1, 2025, Ontario’s general minimum wage will rise from $17.20 to $17.60 per hour. For students under 18, working up to 28 hours per week during school term or on breaks, the wage rises from $16.20 to $16.60. The change is part of Ontario’s annual policy of tying wage increases to inflation.

The most recent increase came on October 1, 2024, raising the general minimum wage to $17.20 from $16.55. Before that, Ontario had maintained a freeze in minimum wage for a couple of years (2019-2020) before resuming annual indexing.

A student from the University of Waterloo who works part-time in the service industry explained, “As I am currently only working part-time with the minimum wage pay, this ‘increase’ does not significantly impact my monthly or weekly income at all. As I’m only working 2-3 shifts a week, and with varying hours as I’m a server, I do not expect to be making any more money with this increase.”

The student added that while the 40¢ bump looks good on paper, it may actually hurt more than help. “Once bumps like this occur, it usually impacts the number of shifts and hours I will be scheduled for as many employers will adjust the hours… Plus, I will just get taxed more now with this increase, so I’m not sure how much I will actually see come into my accounts.”

They also argued that indexing to inflation isn’t enough. “I think minimum wage definitely should continue to increase with inflation costs, but there needs to be a larger jump. At least $1.00 worth… I think $20 is a fair minimum wage for undergraduate students. Even if you worked full-time hours with the current minimum wage of $17.20 you would not have enough to cover the costs of living here in Waterloo.”

For now, Ontario workers will see a modest increase in their paycheques starting October 1.