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Minimum wage in Canada by province and territory, October 2026

The general minimum wage in each province and territory and the federal rate as of October 2026, with effective dates and the next scheduled change.

Updated: October 11, 2026

Who sets the minimum wage

Canada has 14 minimum wages. Each province and territory sets its own for most workers. The federal rate covers only federally regulated private sectors, such as banks, telecommunications, broadcasting, and air, rail and interprovincial road transport. When the provincial or territorial rate is higher, federally regulated employers must pay the higher one.

General rates in effect in October 2026

JurisdictionHourly rateIn effect sinceNext change
Federal (federally regulated private sectors)$18.15April 1, 2026Indexed each April 1 (2027 rate not yet announced)
Alberta$15.00October 1, 2018None scheduled
British Columbia$18.25June 1, 2026Indexed each June 1 (2027 rate not yet announced)
Manitoba$16.40October 1, 2026Indexed each October 1
New Brunswick$15.90April 1, 2026Indexed each April 1 (2027 rate not yet announced)
Newfoundland and Labrador$16.35April 1, 2026Indexed each April 1 (2027 rate not yet announced)
Northwest Territories$17.20September 1, 20262027 rate under review
Nova Scotia$17.00October 1, 2026Next date and amount not yet announced
Nunavut$20.17September 1, 2026Yearly formula; 2027 rate not yet announced
Ontario$17.95October 1, 2026Indexed each October 1; 2027 rate due by April 1, 2027
Prince Edward Island$17.30October 1, 2026$17.60 on April 1, 2027
Quebec$16.60May 1, 2026Not yet announced
Saskatchewan$15.70October 1, 2026Indexed each October 1, announced by June 30
Yukon$18.51April 1, 2026Indexed each April 1 (2027 rate not yet announced)

These are general rates. Several provinces have separate rates for students, liquor servers, homeworkers, guides or farm piece work.

How the rates change

  • Inflation-indexed: the federal rate, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and Yukon follow a consumer price index each year.
  • Formula with wages: Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut combine inflation with the change in average hourly wages.
  • Inflation plus 1 %: Nova Scotia's regulations add one percentage point to the consumer price index.
  • Set by government decision: Quebec and Prince Edward Island announce new rates, often months ahead. Alberta has kept $15 since 2018.

Highest and lowest

Nunavut has the highest rate at $20.17, followed by Yukon at $18.51 and British Columbia at $18.25. Alberta is the lowest at $15.00, then Saskatchewan at $15.70 and New Brunswick at $15.90. The gap between Nunavut and Alberta is $5.17 an hour, close to $10,750 a year at 40 hours a week.

A month at minimum wage

At 40 hours a week, a year has about 2,080 paid hours, or 173 a month. That gives about $3,111 gross a month in Ontario, $3,163 in British Columbia and $2,600 in Alberta, before income tax, CPP and EI. When pay is weekly or every two weeks, some months have an extra pay day; budget each month on the pay days it actually contains, not on a twelfth of the year.

Sources

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