The minimum wage in Canada is the lowest hourly wage an employer can legally pay employees. Each province and territory sets its own minimum wage and these rates currently range from $15.00 to $17.94 per hour.
As you’ll find, minimum wage varies across the country and changes regularly due to inflation and the increasing consumer price index in each region.
Here’s an overview of Canada’s minimum wage rates by province and territory, along with key regional rules and regulations.
Key Takeaways
- The lowest minimum wage is $15.00 per hour in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and the highest is $19.00 per hour in Nunavut.
- The federal minimum wage is $17.75, which only applies to federally regulated workers.
- 10% of Canadians earn minimum wage.
- Several provinces will increase minimum wage in 2025, with regular annual increases in the future.
Overview of the minimum wage in Canada 2025
This chart shows the minimum wage in Canada, listed by province or territory:
| Province or territory | Minimum wage 2025 |
|---|---|
| Alberta | $15.00 per hour |
| British Columbia | $17.40 per hour |
| Manitoba | $15.80 per hour |
| New Brunswick | $15.65 per hour |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $16.00 per hour |
| Northwest Territories | $16.70 per hour |
| Nova Scotia | $15.70 per hour |
| Nunavut | $19.00 per hour |
| Ontario | $17.20 per hour |
| Prince Edward Island | $16.00 per hour |
| Quebec | $15.75 per hour |
| Saskatchewan | $15.00 per hour |
| Yukon | $17.94 per hour |
As you can see, the rates vary quite a bit across the country. At $15.00 per hour, Saskatchewan and Alberta tie for the lowest minimum wage and Nunavut has the highest at $19.00 per hour.
Comparison to cost of living in Canada
Though it may seem tempting to move to a province with higher wages, keep in mind that everything is relative. The minimum wage is often tied directly to the cost of living in that province.
That means the provinces with the higher minimum wages likely have a higher cost of living to boot – generally speaking.
Calculating the cost of living is a complicated process that takes into account many different factors, including these:
- Housing
- Food/groceries
- Transportation
- Child care
- Healthcare
- Clothing
Canada minimum wage by province or territory
Just knowing the minimum wage in each province may not be enough to understand the big picture. There are other rules and regulations to keep in mind as well.
The biggest examples of how provinces may differ are how overtime hours are handled, plus if students under 18 are subject to different rules. We'll go over this and more in each individual section below.
Alberta minimum wage
The minimum wage in Alberta is $15.00 an hour.
What are the exceptions to the Alberta minimum wage?
Students under 18: Students under 18 in the workforce actually have a different wage: $13 per hour. Of course, employers can pay more than this if they so choose, and overtime rules still apply as normal.
But there's a catch: if a student works more than 28 hours in a week, they must be paid the standard wage of $15.00 per hour after that. This doesn't apply if school isn't in session.
The lower wage is an attempt to create more jobs for students.
The minimum wage never includes tips: However old the employee is, minimum wage doesn’t include tips, gratuities, or expenses. This is especially important for those in the service industry. Many of them are hired at minimum wage, but both the employer and employee fully expect this wage to be heavily supplemented with tips.
Salespersons and domestic employees (those residing in their employers’ home): These employee types have different minimum wage requirements. Sometimes it’s difficult to pay these types of workers an hourly rate, so it's calculated on a weekly or monthly basis instead.
In sales and a few other fields, the weekly minimum wage is $598 per week. Eligible fields for this rate include salespeople who work on commission, land agents, and several other professionals.
Domestic employees earn a minimum of $2,848 per month, unless they don't live with their employer. In that case, they're entitled to the typical minimum wage of $15.00 per hour.
To learn more, see: Employment standard rules - Minimum wage.
British Columbia minimum wage
The minimum wage in British Columbia is $17.40 per hour. There is an increase planned for June 1, 2025.
There used to be a few exceptions, all employees are now eligible for the same rate of minimum hourly pay.
What are the exceptions to the minimum wage in BC?
Live-in camp workers are paid a daily rate instead of hourly. This went up to $138.93 per day as of June 1, 2024. Similarly, live-in home support workers also earn a minimum daily wage of a slightly lower $129.62 per day.
Resident caretakers, also known as live-in superintendents of apartment buildings, are given their minimum monthly wage based on the number of units in their building. For a building with 9 to 60 apartments, the caretaker is eligible for a minimum wage of $1,041.80 per month, plus $41.74 for each unit. If the building has more than 60 units, the caretaker is entitled to $3,548.63 per month.
Another exception to the hourly minimum wage is farm workers. This can include anyone who grows, plants, cultivates, or harvests agricultural products on a farm. The rates of pay differ between the types of crops being handled.
These employees must be paid at least twice per month, and they do not receive extra pay for overtime or statutory holidays, however, employers are required to ensure their workers do not work excessive hours that are detrimental to the health and/or safety of the individual.
To learn more, see Minimum wage - Province of British Columbia.
Manitoba minimum wage
The minimum wage in Manitoba is $15.80 per hour.
Even those who are paid with incentives or work on commission must have an income that averages out to the minimum wage rate. If their commission does not earn enough to meet this requirement, the employer is required to top up their pay.
To find out more info, see Employment standards.
What are the exceptions to the minimum wage in Manitoba?
A few groups exempt from the hourly minimum wage requirements include:
- Domestic workers who work less than 12 hours each week
- Those involved in an approved federal or provincial training program
- Election officials, enumerators, and anyone appointed under The Elections Act
Residential construction workers are entitled to receive the provincial minimum wage, but those in heavy construction have specific rates, depending on their specialty.
Employees in the industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) construction sectors are also paid different rates, depending on their specialty.
You can see ICI Construction and Wage Schedule for specifics on both types of workers.
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$25 GeniusCash + Delicious meal choices with fresh ingredients + Front-door delivery.New Brunswick minimum wage
The minimum wage in New Brunswick is $15.65 per hour.
New Brunswick also enforces a minimum rate for overtime work, which is $23.48 per hour.
The province also requires employers to pay their employees for at least 3 hours of work on each paycheque, as long as that employee has been officially asked to report to work.
What are the exceptions to the minimum wage in New Brunswick?
There are special rates for construction and trades workers taking part in government construction work, as well as summer camp staff.
If you'd like to learn more about New Brunswick's rules, you can check out this PDF regarding minimum wage.
Newfoundland and Labrador minimum wage
The Newfoundland and Labrador minimum wage was raised to $16.00 per hour on April 1, 2025.
Every year on this date, the NL government reassesses the rate for minimum wage. The rate is calculated by taking the current minimum wage and adjusting it by the same percentage change as the national CPI for the preceding year.
As with many other provinces, employers in NL are required to pay available and willing employees a minimum of three hours' worth of wages on each paycheque.
What are the exceptions to the minimum wage in Newfoundland and Labrador?
At the time of writing, we're unaware of any exceptions to regulations regarding minimum wage in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Northwest Territories minimum wage
The Northwest Territories minimum wage is $16.70 per hour.
The NWT has rules regarding "recall pay" as well. When an individual is called into work for a shift that was not scheduled in advance, for whatever reason, the employer must pay for a minimum of four hours of work at the usual rate.
Even if the individual is able to leave early and does not complete four hours on the job, they still receive pay.
What are the exceptions to the minimum wage in the Northwest Territories?
"On-call" employees are not normally eligible for recall pay, although exceptions may occur.
If you want to learn more about the Northwest Territories, you can read the province’s Frequently Asked Questions.
Nova Scotia minimum wage
The minimum wage in Nova Scotia is $15.70 per hour. This rate is scheduled to be reviewed and possibly increased on an annual basis, based on CPI.
The next scheduled rate change is coming up on October 1, 2025.
As with many other provinces, there's a law regarding pay for employees called into work outside of their usual work schedule. These individuals must be paid a minimum of three hours' wages in such cases, even if they don't stay and work for the full three hours.
When it comes to piecework, NS regulations state that employees must be paid for their work in a manner that equals out to the province’s minimum hourly wage or more. If it doesn't, the employer must top up the pay.
NS also has regulations about how much an employer can deduct from an employee’s paycheck for room and board, if the situation applies. These weekly amounts are:
- $68.20 for board and lodging
- $55.55 for board only
- $15.45 for lodging only
- $3.65 for a single meal
Employers are allowed to charge their employees for uniforms and may deduct this from their pay. However, deducting for uniforms is not allowed if the remaining pay works out to be less than minimum wage for the hours worked.
What are the exceptions to the minimum wage in Nova Scotia?
Certain types of employees are exempt from the minimum wage rules. These include:
- Those in government-sponsored training programs
- Certain types of farm workers
- Those in apprenticeship programs
- Non-profit playground or summer camp workers
- Real estate agents
- Car salespeople
- Salespeople who work on commission and outside of the employer’s premises
- Insurance agents
- Those who work on fishing boats
- Certain logging and forest workers
- In-home domestic and personal care workers
- Athletes
If you'd like to learn more, see: Nova Scotia minimum wage.
Nunavut minimum wage
If you live in Nunavut, the minimum wage is $19.00 per hour.
The rules for recall pay (when an employee is called into work outside of their regularly scheduled hours) state that employees must receive four hours' wages, even if they don't end up working for four hours.
What are the exceptions to the minimum wage in Nunavut?
Regulations related to minimum wage don't apply to trappers or those who work in commercial fisheries.
To read a list of FAQs, see: Nunavut Labour Standards Compliance Office.
Ontario minimum wage
There are quite a few exceptions related to minimum wage Ontario – while the standard rate is $17.20 per hour, students earn $16.20 per hour, and domestic/homeworkers earn $18.90.
What are the exceptions to the minimum wage in Ontario?
The student rate applies to those under the age of 18 who work 28 hours or less each week when school is in session and during school breaks, including summertime.
Domestic or homeworkers include those who sew for clothing manufacturers, answer phones for a call centre, or do many other types of work that can be done at home. Even students who are employed as homeworkers must receive the $18.90 minimum wage.
For hunting, fishing, and wilderness guides, the minimum rate is set per day instead of per hour. If these individuals work less than five hours in a day, they earn $86. However, if they work more than five hours, they earn $172.05.
These hours do not have to be in succession. Wilderness guides include those who lead activities in:
- Back-country skiing
- Snowshoeing
- Canoeing
- Kayaking
- Rafting
- Dog sledding
- Hiking
- Horseback riding
- Rock climbing
- Operating all-terrain vehicles or snowmobiles
- Wildlife viewing
- Survival training
Ontario also has minimum wage guidelines for those who work on commission. Whether their earnings are entirely or partially earned through commission, their paycheques must amount to the appropriate hourly minimum wage for that sector. This means the employer may occasionally need to top up their employees' pay.
Another thing to point out is that if there's an employee who usually works shifts of three or more hours but ends up working less than three hours, they're still entitled to three hours of pay.
This regulation applies to students as well, except when the a student's job involves these activities:
- Working at a children’s camp
- Providing instruction for children
- Supervising children
- Facilitating a recreational program run by a charity
For Ontario's full rules, see: Ontario minimum wage.
Prince Edward Island minimum wage
In the province of PEI, the minimum wage is $16.00 per hour. Unlike other provinces, Prince Edward Island doesn't specify different rates for other types of workers.
PEI has specific guidelines for employers providing room and board.
Employers can deduct a maximum of:
- $61.60 per week for board and lodging
- $49.50 per week for board
- $27.50 per week for lodging
- $4.25 for single meals
What are the exceptions for minimum wage in Prince Edward Island?
We aren't aware of any exceptions to the minimum wage rules in PEI.
If you'd like to learn more, see: PEI Minimum Wage Order (Board and Lodging).
Quebec minimum wage
The minimum wage in Quebec was raised to $15.75 on May 1, 2024. This will be raised to $16.10 on May 1, 2025.
What are the exceptions to the minimum wage in Quebec?
There's a separate minimum wage of $12.60 per hour for employees who receive tips, such as serving staff and hairdressers.
Those who work picking berries also have a specific wage rate of $4.69 per kilogram of raspberries and $1.25 per kilogram of strawberries.
Read more about these Quebec rates and exceptions here: Quebec Wages.
Saskatchewan minimum wage
The current minimum wage in Saskatchewan is $15.00 per hour. This rate was set on October 1, 2024.
What are the exceptions to minimum wage in Saskatchewan?
There are a few exceptions to this minimum wage rate:
- Farming
- Ranching
- Market garden labourers
- Some private home care employees
- Professional athletes
- Certain employees of non-profit organizations
And, like other provinces, regulations state that employees must receive at least three hours' worth of pay per shift, even if they don't work that long. The only exception to this is if the employee is called in to work overtime hours.
To learn more, see: Saskatchewan Minimum Wage and Reporting for Duty Pay.
Yukon minimum wage
The minimum wage in Yukon is $17.94. This increase was set on April 1, 2025.
There's also a Yukon Fair Wage Schedule that documents the minimum wage requirements for various government workers, tradespeople, and others.
Many tradespeople in Yukon are paid according to their category:
- Category A Class: $41.62 per hour
- Category B Class: $37.31 per hour
- Category C Class: $33.10 per hour
- Category D Class: $30.04 per hour
To learn more, see: Find minimum wage in the Yukon.
What are the exceptions to minimum wage in the Yukon?
There are a few exceptions to this minimum wage rate:
- Territorial, First Nations, and federal governments
- Employees covered by a collective agreement
- Employees who are excluded by regulations
- Guides and outfitters
- Farm workers
- Domestic workers
- Mineral exploration employees
- Watchmen and caretakers (unless with a private security agency)
- Bank employees
- Airline employees
- Inter-provincial trucking employees
- Post office employees
- Radio and television station employees
You'll find more info about these exceptions here: The Employment Standards Act.
The federal minimum wage increased on April 1, 2025
On April 1, 2025, the federal minimum wage rate was raised from $17.30 to $17.75 per hour. This rate is reviewed and adjusted annually, based on CPI and rounded to the nearest five-cent mark.
Who is entitled to the federally regulated minimum wage?
The federal minimum wage rate only applies to federally regulated private sectors. And if the rate for the provincial minimum wage is higher than the federal rate, an employer is required to pay the higher of the two.
These are a few examples of sectors affected by this rate change:
- Air transportation (airlines, airports, etc.)
- Port services (marine shipping, ferries, etc.)
- Postal and courier services
- Radio and television broadcasting
- Telecommunications (telephone, internet, etc.)
- The federal public service
- Parliament
Upcoming minimum wage increases by province
Several provinces are planning to raise the minimum wage in 2025:
- British Columbia: $17.85 on June 1, 2025
- Manitoba: $15.80 on October 1, 2025
- Nova Scotia: $16.50 on October 1, 2025
- Ontario: $17.60 on October 1, 2025
- Quebec: $15.75 on May 1, 2025
There are no other scheduled increases in provinces or territories. However, many provinces have committed to annually raising the minimum wage based on inflation and the Consumer Price Index.
What is the highest minimum wage in Canada?
Among provinces and territories, Nunavut at $19.00 per hour has the highest minimum wage in Canada.
Based on a report published by Statistics Canada in 2019, 10.4% of Canadians earn minimum wage.
Each province and territory in Canada sets its own minimum wage and labour laws. The federal minimum wage in Canada is $17.75 per hour, but this only applies to federally regulated workers.
FAQ
What is Canada’s minimum wage in 2025?
Each province and territory sets its minimum wage, currently ranging from $15.00 to $17.94 per hour. The federal minimum wage in Canada in 2025 is $17.75 per hour, but this only applies to federally regulated workers.
Which province has the lowest minimum wage in Canada?
Saskatchewan and Alberta have the lowest minimum wage in Canada, at $15.00 per hour. Saskatchewan implemented this rate in October 2024, and Alberta began in 2018. Neither province plans to raise this rate in 2025.
What is the minimum wage for a 15-year-old in Canada?
The federal student minimum wage is $17.75/hr, but provincial rules vary. For instance, everyone in Manitoba receives a $15.80/hr minimum wage rate, while Alberta has a special student wage of $13/hr.
Where has the highest minimum wage in Canada?
The territory of Nunavut has the highest minimum wage in Canada, with $19.00 per hour, and the second-highest is the Yukon at $17.94 per hour. At $15.00, Saskatchewan has the lowest provincial minimum wage rate.
What is minimum wage?
Minimum wage is the smallest amount an employee can legally pay you for most jobs. The aim is to protect non-unionized workers and reduce the number of low-paying jobs in an effort to promote equality and stimulate economic growth.
How does minimum wage work?
Each province and territory sets its own standard for minimum wage. Employees are usually paid hourly and most provinces/territories have rules about the minimum number of hours an employee is entitled to per paycheque (usually 3 hours).
What's the provincial minimum wage in Canada?
The minimum wage varies in each Canadian province or territory. While the average is $16.27 per hour, it currently ranges from $15.00 per hour in Saskatchewan to $19.00 per hour in Nunavut.
Is the minimum wage in Canada increasing in 2025?
New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Yukon have all increased the minimum wage in April of 2025. Later in the year, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia (again) will raise their rates.
Is the minimum wage in Ontario increasing?
Yes, the minimum wage in Ontario will increase to $17.60 on October 1, 2025. The most recent update before this was when the rate was raised to $17.20 per hour on October 1, 2024.
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