Minimum Wage by Province: A Complete Guide for 2025

Canada offers one of the most valuable minimum wages worldwide, outranking the United States. Some Canadian provinces—like Ontario have also announced minimum wage increases in 2025.

The minimum wage rate changes throughout the country, depending on the jurisdiction. So, it’s important for HR teams and small business owners to understand legislation to ensure that payroll is completed correctly. Not only to ensure they stay compliant, to also keep their staff happy and compensated for their hard work.

Not following minimum wage legislation could land your organization in legal trouble. But more importantly, it can destroy your employee’s trust, and lead to a lack of motivation and even increased absenteeism or turnover.

This guide will detail the rate of minimum wage in Canada, how to calculate it and answer common questions around minimum wage. BambooHR software can help you keep on top of payroll and pay your people with confidence. Learn more with a free demo.

What is the minimum wage in Canada?

The federal minimum wage in Canada is currently $17.75. This is a 2.4% increase on the previous rate and applies to employees working in a federally regulated business or industry.

All federally regulated employees should be paid at least the federal minimum wage. But if the territory where the employee usually works is higher than this, you must pay the higher rate.

What is the minimum wage in Alberta?

The current general minimum wage in Alberta is $15.00.

For students under 18, this is reduced to $13 an hour—but restrictions apply. Employers may choose to pay students more than this rate. Wages don’t include tips or expenses. Some employees may be entitled to the weekly minimum wage, at $598 per week.

What is the minimum wage in British Columbia?

In British Columbia, the current rate of minimum wage is $17.85.

This hourly wage applies to most employees, regardless of whether they’re paid hourly, on salary, or by commission. If the employees’ wage is below the minimum for the hours they worked, the employer must top it up. Some specific industries have different rates. Find out more.

What is the minimum wage in Manitoba?

The current rate of minimum wage in Manitoba is $15.80.

But it’s set to increase to $16.00 per hour on October 1 2025. All employees must receive the minimum wage unless they’re excluded from legislation or not covered by provincial standards. This may include domestic workers working less than 12 hours a week.

What is the minimum wage in New Brunswick?

The minimum wage in New Brunswick is $15.65.

All workers paid via salary, commission or per piece must receive this for every hour worked. There are certain rates for employees in government construction work and counselors and program staff at residential camps.

The overtime rate in New Brunswick is $23.48 per hour.

What is the minimum wage in Newfoundland and Labrador?

In Newfoundland and Labrador, the minimum wage rate is $16.00 and the minimum overtime rate is $24.00.

This is one and a half times the minimum wage for hours worked over 40 in a week. Alternatively, employees may be granted one and a half hours of paid time off for each hour of overtime worked instead.

What is the minimum wage in Northwest Territories?

In the Northwest Territories, the minimum wage rate is currently $16.95—as of September 2025.

This is the lowest amount an employee can legally be paid. The minimum overtime rate is one and a half times the employee’s regular wage for any hours over eight in one day, or over 40 in a week.

What is the minimum wage in Nova Scotia?

The current minimum wage in Nova Scotia is $15.70, but it’s set to increase in October 2025 to $16.50.

The minimum wage legislation doesn’t apply to certain groups including farm workers, anyone receiving training under government approved plans, as well as real estate and car salespeople. Learn more.

What is the minimum wage in Nunavut?

In Nunavut, the current minimum wage rate is $19.75.

It increased from $19.00 in September 2025. This minimum wage has no age restriction, and all employees should receive this rate for all hours worked. But it doesn’t include tips or gratitude.

What is the minimum wage in Ontario?

The minimum wage in Ontario is currently $17.20 per hour with the student minimum being $16.20.

On October 1, minimum wage is rising to $17.60 an hour, and student minimum to $16.60. There are also different rates to be aware of for hunting, fishing and wilderness guides.

What is the minimum wage in Prince Edward Island?

The minimum wage in Prince Edward Island is also increasing in October 2025. It’s currently $16.00 but set to rise to $16.50 on October 1. On April 1 2026, it will increase again to $17 an hour.

The minimum overtime rate, measured at one and half times the employee’s regular wage, on hours worked above 48 in one week.

What is the minimum wage in Quebec?

In Quebec, the minimum wage for employees is $16.10 per hour.

The minimum overtime rate is one and a half times this rate, for all hours above 40 in a week. Both part-time and full-time workers are entitled to minimum wage. A worker must be paid this amount, regardless of perks or benefits from their employer.

What is the minimum wage in Saskatchewan?

In Saskatchewan, the minimum wage is $15.00 per hour. The minimum wage is set to rise to $15.35 in October 2025. All employees must be paid at least this amount for all hours worked. It also applies if they’re under direction of their employer.

Some employees are exempt, including farm labourers, certain care providers, babysitters, and more.

What is the minimum wage in Yukon?

In Yukon, the minimum wage is $17.94 per hour—effective since April 2025.

The minimum wage is adjusted each year according to inflation, calculated based on the Consumer Price Index. The minimum overtime rate is one and a half times the employee’s regular wage for hours worked in excess of eight in a day, or 40 in a week.

How to calculate minimum wage

Minimum wage can be worked out simply for federally regulated employees. First, identify your local wage rate. If this is higher than the federal rate of $17.75, you must pay the rate of your jurisdiction. If it’s lower, pay the federal rate. Your employee must always receive the higher minimum rate. Then multiply this hourly rate with the number of hours your employee worked.

The formula is:

• (Minimum wage hourly rate) x (number of hours worked)

Even if your employee isn’t paid hourly, you still need to ensure they receive the equivalent of the minimum wage.

Minimum wage FAQs

Hopefully you’re now feeling more confident about paying your staff correctly. Here, we’ve rounded up some commonly asked questions about minimum wage rates:

What is the average minimum wage in Canada?

As of October 2025, the average minimum wage in Canada across 13 jurisdictions is $16.71. There isn’t a set minimum wage across Canada, as each province and territory sets its own. The federal minimum wage in 2025 is $17.75, and this is the minimum that employers must pay federally regulated employees, regardless of location.

Do businesses have to increase the minimum wage if it goes up?

Yes, all employees must be paid at least the minimum wage. This means that employers must adjust their payroll information to ensure that all federally regulated workers receive at least the minimum hourly wage.

Do businesses have to increase everyone’s wages if the minimum wage rate goes up?

No, if you’re already paying your employees above the minimum wage, there’s no legal requirement to raise it further. The law stipulates that you must pay the minimum, anything higher than this is up to the employer.

Does the minimum wage apply to students?

The minimum wage rate for students varies depending on the jurisdiction and age of the student. For example, in Alberta, $13.00 is the minimum wage for students under the age of 18 for the first 28 hours a week they work during school time. Above this, they must be paid $15 an hour.

Whereas in Ontario, the student minimum wage is set to increase to $16.60 an hour in October 2025.

What is the three-hour rule when it comes to wages?

If your employee usually works over three hours a day, and showed up to work but wasn’t needed to complete all three hours, they must be paid the highest amount of either:

• Three hours at regular pay

Or

• The amount the employee earned for the time they did work, plus wages equal to their regular rate for the remainder of the three hours.