Ontario minimum wage increasing to $15 per hour in January, sources say
Ontario will increase minimum wage to $15 per hour starting in January, CTV News Toronto has learned.
Sources say Premier Doug Ford will make the official announcement on Tuesday and the change will come into effect on Jan. 1.
Sources said the minimum wage will continue to rise by the rate of inflation after the boost to $15 per hour.
Minimum wage in Ontario is currently $14.35 per hour.
In October 2020, the provincial minimum wage increased from $14 per hour to $14.25 per hour.
Before that, the minimum wage had not increased in Ontario since January 2018, when it went up from $11.60 per hour to $14 per hour.
After being elected in 2018, Ford scrapped legislation that would have pushed the minimum wage to $15.
On Monday, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath grilled Ford in Question Period about that decision.
"The premier's buddies never need to worry about putting food on the table or putting a roof over the head of their kids," Horwath said.
She said minimum wage workers would have lost out on $5,300 because the hourly rate didn't go up to $15 per hour in 2018.
Ford responded by talking about gas prices and then said more people have jobs since he took over from the Liberal government.
Dan Kelly, President and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, blasted Ford on Twitter Monday, saying that increasing minimum wage will hurt struggling businesses.
"I might have thought Ford would let small businesses have a shot at surviving the pandemic before further pandering to Ontario’s unions," Kelly said.
He said the increase will come just after the "long, cold post-holiday season" and that as of right now, only 37 per cent of Ontario small businesses are back to normal sale levels from the pandemic.
Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca said Monday Ford is only increasing minimum wage because of next year's eleciton.
"Now that he's desperate for votes, Ford's finally ending his fight against minimum wage workers," Del Duca wrote on Twitter.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.