Ontario’s Minimum Wage Increases to  $17.20 an hour

By Staff

October 1^st, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, issued the following statement on increasing the province’s minimum wage:

“Today, the general minimum wage in Ontario increases from $16.55 per hour to $17.20, helping nearly one million workers earn more money for themselves and their families.

Minister David Piccini

Is Minister Piccini not embarrassed – he should have said: “I’m sorry – this is the best I can do.

He goes on to say: Ontario’s minimum wage is one of the highest in the country. This 3.9 per cent increase is tied to the Consumer Price Index, meaning that a worker making the general minimum wage over a 40-hour work week will have up to $1,355 more in their pockets every year. Our fair and balanced approach makes things predictable for both workers and businesses.

There is nothing fair or balanced about the new minimum wage – it might be acceptable for high school students who work after school and on weekends but a university student can’t work and set aside funds for the school year.

Communities hold food drives and ship what they have collected to a Food Bank.

We now know why there are more than a million people having to use Food Banks on a regular basis.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is committed to working for workers and supporting them as we continue to build a strong Ontario with a resilient economy.

“We also know” said the Minister that “ minimum wage jobs should be a starting point, not an endpoint”  – but in reality it is the wage level far too many people working full time are at.