These 7 Provinces and Territories Are Increasing Minimum Wage This Fall

In September and October, minimum wage will increase in Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan.

Earlier this year, the minimum wage increased for British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, and the Yukon. And—notably—Nova Scotia and PEI are actually increasing their minimum wage for the second time this year.

That means that 12 of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories are getting minimum wage increases in 2026.

The only province that won’t be increasing minimum wage in 2026? Alberta. In fact, Alberta minimum wage hasn’t increased since 2018 (more on that later).

Now, let’s get into the details of what’s happening in each province.

Which Provinces Are Increasing Minimum Wage?

On September 1, the minimum wage will increase in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. This will be followed by increases in five provinces on October 1. Here are all the details:

Nunavut tops the list with the highest minimum wage in Canada at $20.17 per hour. This isn’t surprising, as the cost of living in Canada’s northern territories is much higher than the rest of the country, requiring higher wages to keep up. Among the provinces, Ontario tops the list with a minimum wage of $17.95, effective October 1.

Interestingly, the maritime provinces of Nova Scotia and PEI are both increasing their minimum wage twice this year. Nova Scotia increased from $16.50 to $16.75 back in April, and will increase again to $17.00 in October. PEI started the year at $16.50, increased to $17.00 in April, and will increase to $17.30 in October—an increase of nearly 5 percent in a single year.

What Is the Minimum Wage in Canada?

Minimum wage in Canada is the lowest hourly wage that employers are allowed to pay workers. It is illegal for an employer to pay below minimum wage.

Generally, each province and territory sets its own minimum wage, which is why you see variance between the different locations in Canada. Often provinces and territories need to account for regional factors like inflation, cost of living, consumer price indexes, and more.

Canada also has a “federal minimum wage,” which is currently $18.15/hour following an increase back in April. Notably, however, this only applies to workers in federally regulated industries and workplaces in both the private and public sector. This includes private sectors like air transportation and banking, along with the federal public sector.

If you’re working in a federally regulated industry in a province or territory where the provincial minimum wage is higher than the federal minimum wage, you must be paid the higher amount.

Two provinces, Ontario and Alberta, also have separate minimum wage rates for students under the age of 18. In both provinces, students can be paid slightly below the minimum wage for workers 18 and older.

Why Are Minimum Wages Increasing?

The minimum wage is regularly increased to help workers’ wage keep up with things like inflation and cost of living. The exact criteria and decision to increase wages varies from province to province.

As an example, Ontario uses its Consumer Price Index (CPI) to calculate adjustments to the minimum wage. In 2026, the CPI of 1.9 percent informed the minimum wage increase from $17.60 to $17.95.

Ontario’s Labour Minister, David Piccini, said the province is “putting more money in the pockets of Ontario workers,” touting the fact that the increase will benefit upwards of 700,000 workers. Other provinces and territories might use different calculations, accounting for things like average hourly wages.

The various formulas are built to help minimum wage remain somewhat responsive to changes in the costs of goods and services, which have increased substantially in recent years, particularly during the period of high inflation following the pandemic.

Of course, while increases to minimum wage are good for lower-income workers, they’re not necessarily enough to live off. Some advocates argue that there is a substantial difference between the “minimum wage” and a “living wage.” A living wage estimates how much someone needs to earn to cover their basic expenses in different areas.

For example, a 2025 report estimated that a person living in Toronto would need to earn $26/hour at a full-time job in order to afford the minimum cost of living. This is more than $8.00 higher than Ontario’s minimum wage.

Alberta Hasn’t Increased Minimum Wage Since 2018

The big noticeable holdout from this year’s Canadian minimum wage increases is: Alberta. Alberta’s minimum wage is currently $15.00 per hour. As of October 1, this will give Alberta the lowest minimum wage of any province or territory in Canada.

In fact, Alberta has not increased its minimum wage since October 2018. Back then, this gave Alberta the highest minimum wage in Canada. But – now things look very different.

Back in 2024, Alberta’s then-Minister of Jobs, Matt Jones told media, “Minimum wage is an important issue for our government. We will continue to monitor the matter closely and evaluate the appropriateness of the current calibration to best serve Albertans.”

The province has not indicated any plans to increase the minimum wage in the immediate future.

It’s an interesting reversal: in just a few years, Alberta has gone from having the highest minimum wage in Canada to the lowest, all at $15 per hour.

That creates quite the reversal from 2018: Alberta went from having the highest minimum wage in Canada to having the lowest, all while keeping the exact same $15 hourly rate. Of course, all things are contextual, and even Alberta’s $15/hour minimum wage might feel attractive to some workers south of the border where U.S. federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 per hour since 2009.