Ontario will increase the general minimum wage from $17.60 to $17.95 an hour on October 1, 2026, an annual adjustment linked to the provincial Consumer Price Index of 1.9 %. The change is expected to benefit more than 700,000 workers and will rank among the highest minimum wage rates in Canada. The province says the increase is intended to protect workers’ purchasing power while giving employers predictability and stability to plan and grow amid global economic uncertainty. A full-time worker earning the general minimum wage, working 40 hours per week, would see an estimated annual increase of about $728.