Ontario Increased Minimum Wage on October 1, 2020

As of October 1, 2020, the general minimum wage increased across Ontario to $14.25 per hour. Other categories of workers also increased as follows:

Student Minimum Wage	Individuals who are below the age of 18 who work 28 hours a week or less.	$13.40 per hour
Liquor Servers Minimum Wage	Applies to individuals who serve liquor directly to customers, guests, members or patrons in licensed premises and who regularly receive tips or other gratuities as part of their work.	$12.45 per hour
Homeworkers Wage	Employees who do paid work from their own homes. This includes students who are employed as homeworkers under the age of 18.	$15.70 per hour

 

According to the Ministry of Labour website, “homeworkers” are employees who do paid work out of their own homes for an employer (for example, online research, preparing food for resale, sewing, telephone soliciting, manufacturing, word processing).

Due to the pandemic, many employees are now working from home and may fall under the “homeworker” category.  If these employees were being paid minimum wage previously, employers should ensure that the increased and applicable minimum wage is being paid to these employees. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about the appropriate rate of pay required to comply with these statutory requirements.