Come the new year, minimum wage in Ontario will be going up.
Despite cancelling a planned hike in 2018, the government is raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour on January 1st, 2022, up from $14.35 and says the hourly wage will continue to go up with the rate of inflation every October.
“When we asked labour leaders what their priorities were, increasing the minimum wage was at the top of the list,” Premier Doug Ford says. “As the cost of living continues to go up, our government is proud to be working for workers, putting more money into their pockets by increasing the minimum wage.”
Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy says liquor server’s minimum hourly wage will also be going up, from $12.55 to $15.
“The special minimum wage for liquor servers was based on the rational that they received tips from customers, but throughout the pandemic the hospitality industry was hit hard and those tips dried up,” Bethlenfalvy says. “with this change, the special liquor servers will be eliminated and full time liquor servers will receive $5100 more in 2022.”
The Ontario Federation of Labour is calling today’s announcement proof that the longstanding demands of the labour movement remain the best way to build a better province for all.
“Three years ago, workers fought for and won a $15 minimum wage because we knew then that a livable wage was urgently needed,” said Patty Coates, Ontario Federation of Labour President. “Immediately upon taking office, Doug Ford scrapped the minimum wage increase. We knew it would hurt workers and it would hurt the economy. We were right.”
Critics say while any increase in the minimum wage is a good step, $15 an hour is still not considered a living wage in most communities in Ontario.
As of the last calculation in 2018, the living wage in Chatham-Kent was listed at $16.33 an hour, one of the lowest rates in Ontario.
