Last Updated On 15 April 2024, 4:39 AM EDT (Toronto Time)
The new minimum wage in Canada and five Canadian provinces/territories (Yukon, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador) takes effect today, April 1, 2024.
To keep up with inflation, the federal national minimum wage in Canada is now $17.30 per hour, an increase from $16.65 per hour.
All federally regulated commercial sectors in Canada, including banking, postal and courier services, and interprovincial air, rail, road, and ocean transportation, must pay the federal minimum wage.
However, critics continue to attack the new minimum wage for falling short of actual living wages in various parts of Canada.
New minimum wage in five Canadian provinces
Today (April 1, 2024), a new minimum wage will take effect in five Canadian provinces.
The Prince Edward Island (PEI) minimum wage will rise by 40 cents per hour to $15.40 per hour.
The new Nova Scotia minimum wage, which goes into effect today, will be $15.20 an hour.
New Brunswick’s minimum wage is now officially set at $15.30 per hour, effective April 1, 2024, up from $14.75.
Also, the minimum wage in Newfoundland and Labrador has now increased by 60 cents to $15.60 per hour.
Furthermore, the Yukon minimum wage will increase by 82 cents to $17.59 per hour.
Official minimum wage in Canada and the upcoming salary schedule
| Province / Territory | Current hourly Minimum Wage | Next Raise Schedule |
| Canada (only federally regulated private sectors) | $17.30 | April 1, 2025 |
| Yukon | $17.59 | April 1, 2025 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $15.60 | April 1, 2025 |
| Nova Scotia | $15.20 | October 1, 2024 |
| Prince Edward Island | $15.40 | April 1, 2025 |
| New Brunswick | $15.30 | April 1, 2025 |
| Nunavut | $19.00 | Yet to be decided |
| British Columbia | $16.75 | $17.40 per hour, effective June 1, 2024 |
| Ontario | $16.55 | minimum wage is to be revised on October 1, 2024 |
| Northwest Territories | $16.05 | Yet to be decided |
| Manitoba | $15.30 | $15.80 per hour, effective October 1, 2024 |
| Quebec | $15.25 | $15.75 per hour, effective May 1, 2024 |
| Alberta | $15.00 | Yet to be decided |
| Saskatchewan | $14.00 | $15 per hour, effective October 1, 2024 |
Minimum Wage in Canada Does Not Match The Living Wages
Official minimum wages in Canada and its provinces continue to fall short of the practical living wages in the country’s largest cities.
The living wage is defined as what individuals must earn to cover the true costs of living in their neighbourhood, and it is based on community-specific data.
The living wages in major locations in Canada are listed below.
| City/Region | Living Wage Rates in 2023 |
| Canmore | 38.80 |
| Clayoquot Sound | 26.51 |
| Halifax | 26.50 |
| Daajing Giids | 26.25 |
| Golden | 25.78 |
| Metro Vancouver | 25.68 |
| Sunshine Coast | 25.61 |
| Greater Victoria | 25.40 |
| Annapolis Valley | 25.40 |
| Cowichan Valley | 25.20 |
| Powell River | 25.06 |
| Southern | 25.05 |
| GTA | 25.05 |
| Jasper | 24.90 |
| Revelstoke | 24.60 |
| Kelowna | 24.60 |
| Fort McMurray | 24.50 |
| Northern | 24.30 |
| St. Albert | 23.80 |
| Calgary | 23.70 |
| Nanaimo | 22.87 |
| Cape Breton | 22.85 |
| Grey Bruce Perth Huron Simcoe | 22.75 |
| Columbia Valley | 22.63 |
| Edmonton | 22.25 |
| Prince George | 22.09 |
| Comox Valley | 22.02 |
| Ottawa | 21.95 |
| High River | 21.70 |
| Lac La Biche County | 21.60 |
| Trail | 21.55 |
| Nelson | 21.14 |
| Stony Plain | 21.10 |
| Spruce Grove | 21.00 |
| Kamloops | 20.91 |
| Dufferin Guelph Wellington Waterloo | 20.90 |
| Hamilton | 20.80 |
| Fraser Valley | 20.66 |
| Dawson Creek | 20.64 |
| Lethbridge | 20.60 |
| East | 20.60 |
| Brant Haldimand Norfolk Niagara | 20.35 |
| North | 19.80 |
| Drayton Valley | 19.55 |
| Winnipeg | 19.21 |
| Brooks | 19.05 |
| Saskatoon | 18.95 |
| Grande Prairie | 18.90 |
| London Elgin Oxford | 18.85 |
| Red Deer | 18.75 |
| Southwest | 18.65 |
| Regina | 17.80 |
| Thompson | 17.48 |
| Medicine Hat | 17.35 |
| Brandon | 15.69 |
What is the federal minimum wage?
In 2021, the Canadian government implemented a federal minimum wage.
It is changed annually to reflect Canada’s annual average consumer price index from the preceding calendar year.
The federal minimum wage is now $17.30 per hour, effective April 1, 2024.
When is the minimum wage in Ontario going up?
The minimum wage in Ontario will rise to $17.20 on October 1, 2024.
When will Alberta raise the minimum wage?
Alberta’s minimum wage has remained steady since 2018, and it was the highest in 2018.
However, the province has not made any changes to the minimum wage since then and there has been no indication by the provincial government until now.
What is Nova Scotia’s minimum wage?
The minimum wage in Nova Scotia is $15.20. On October 1, 2024, Nova Scotia may revise the minimum wage again.
When does the federal minimum wage in Canada increase?
Every year, on April 1, Canada revises the federal minimum wage based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
When will the BC minimum wage increase in 2024?
B.C. will be raising the minimum wage to $17.40 per hour on June 1, 2024.
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