Only one 2027 minimum wage rate had been announced as of October 30, 2026: Prince Edward Island at $17.60 from April 1, 2027. This guide lists the rate in force in every province and territory, its effective date, and when each 2027 rate is expected.
Applies in: CA
Canada has no single minimum wage. Fourteen rates apply across the country: one for federally regulated workplaces, one for each province, and one for each territory. Each rate is set by its own government, on its own date, by its own method. A national list is therefore a snapshot, and the date of the snapshot matters as much as the numbers in it.
This snapshot is dated October 30, 2026. On that date, only one 2027 rate had been announced anywhere in Canada. Every other rate in the table below is the rate in force on October 30, 2026, stated with the date it took effect and the date its next adjustment is normally due. A rate in force in 2026 is not a 2027 rate, and this guide does not present it as one.
Prince Edward Island is the exception that proves the rule. The province's Minimum Wage Order sets the rate at $17.30 per hour from October 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, and at $17.60 per hour on and after April 1, 2027. The Government of Prince Edward Island minimum wage page lists the April 1, 2027, rate of $17.60, and the province's 2026 minimum wage review page confirms that the rate is scheduled to increase to $17.30 on October 1, 2026, and to $17.60 on April 1, 2027. The province's Employment Standards Board was separately reviewing future rates beyond those already announced, with written submissions closing October 30, 2026, but that review concerns rates after the announced increases, not the April 1, 2027, rate itself.
| Jurisdiction | General rate in force | In effect since | 2027 status as of October 30, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal (federally regulated) | $18.15 | April 1, 2026 | Not yet announced; next adjustment April 1, 2027 |
| Alberta | $15.00 | October 1, 2018 | Not yet announced; no annual adjustment |
| British Columbia | $18.25 | June 1, 2026 | Not yet announced; next adjustment June 1, 2027 |
| Manitoba | $16.40 | October 1, 2026 | Not yet announced; next adjustment October 1, 2027 |
| New Brunswick | $15.90 | April 1, 2026 | Not yet announced; next adjustment April 1, 2027 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $16.35 | April 1, 2026 | Not yet announced; next adjustment April 1, 2027 |
| Northwest Territories | $17.20 | September 1, 2026 | Not yet announced; next adjustment September 1, 2027 |
| Nova Scotia | $17.00 | October 1, 2026 | Not yet announced; adjustment dates vary |
| Nunavut | $20.17 | September 1, 2026 | Not yet announced; next adjustment September 1, 2027 |
| Ontario | $17.95 | October 1, 2026 | Not yet announced; next rate takes effect October 1, 2027 |
| Prince Edward Island | $17.30 | October 1, 2026 | Announced: $17.60 from April 1, 2027 |
| Quebec | $16.60 | May 1, 2026 | Not yet announced; next adjustment May 1, 2027 |
| Saskatchewan | $15.70 | October 1, 2026 | Not yet announced; next adjustment October 1, 2027 |
| Yukon | $18.51 | April 1, 2026 | Not yet announced; next adjustment April 1, 2027 |
Five provinces changed rates on October 1, 2026: Ontario from $17.60 to $17.95, Manitoba from $16.00 to $16.40, Saskatchewan from $15.35 to $15.70, Nova Scotia from $16.75 to $17.00, and Prince Edward Island from $17.00 to $17.30. Nova Scotia's October change was its second of 2026, after a rise to $16.75 on April 1. The other 2026 changes were the federal rate to $18.15 on April 1, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador on April 1, Yukon on April 1, Quebec to $16.60 on May 1, British Columbia from $17.85 to $18.25 on June 1, and the Northwest Territories and Nunavut on September 1.
The rates in the table are general rates, for most employees. They are not the whole rule. Ontario, for example, sets a student rate of $16.90 per hour and a homeworker rate of $19.70 per hour for the period October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027, alongside the general rate of $17.95. Other jurisdictions set special rates for particular groups or occupations, and some jobs are exempt from the minimum wage provisions in the relevant statute or regulation. The federal Minimum Wage Database, run by the Labour Program at Employment and Social Development Canada, records current and forthcoming general rates and special rates by jurisdiction, and it is the central place to check whether a special rate or an exemption applies to a particular job.
Two questions decide the rate: where is the work done, and is the employer federally or provincially regulated? For most jobs, the province or territory where the work is done sets the floor. For federally regulated workplaces, the federal rate applies, with one qualification: where the provincial or territorial rate is higher than the federal rate, the higher rate applies. A federally regulated worker in Nunavut is therefore covered at no less than $20.17, while a federally regulated worker in Alberta is covered at no less than the federal $18.15.
The rate that applies is the rate in force on the day the hours were worked. When a change lands partway through a pay period, the period is treated as two periods for minimum wage purposes: hours before the effective date at the old rate, and hours on or after it at the new rate. Ontario's guide states compliance on a pay-period basis, with gross pay before deductions needing to reach at least the minimum wage for all hours worked. A contract that already pays above the floor does not drop to the floor when the floor rises, and a contract below the floor cannot lawfully pay less than the floor.
Alberta is the outlier in the table. Its $15.00 rate has been unchanged since October 1, 2018, and it has no annual indexation adjustment. Every other jurisdiction in the table adjusts on a recurring schedule, most of them tied in some way to price changes, though the exact formula and rounding differ. Saskatchewan, for example, weights the Consumer Price Index and the province's average hourly wage equally. The method matters less to a worker than the date: the rate changes on the adjustment date, and the announcement normally comes weeks or months before it.
The 2027 rates will arrive jurisdiction by jurisdiction, not all at once. The practical recheck dates follow the adjustment calendar: before April 1, 2027, for the federal rate, Yukon, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador; before May 1, 2027, for Quebec; before June 1, 2027, for British Columbia; before September 1, 2027, for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut; and in the spring of 2027 for Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, whose next rates take effect October 1, 2027. Nova Scotia's next date is not fixed in the same way, so its employment standards page should be checked directly. Prince Edward Island needs no recheck for April 1, 2027: $17.60 is already set in the Minimum Wage Order.
There is no single Canadian minimum wage for 2027. Each province and territory sets its own general minimum wage, and the federal government sets one for federally regulated workplaces. As of October 30, 2026, only one jurisdiction had announced a 2027 rate: Prince Edward Island, at $17.60 per hour from April 1, 2027. Every other jurisdiction's 2027 rate was still unannounced, and the rate in force on October 30, 2026, in each place is the rate that applied to hours worked then. The table in this guide lists each jurisdiction's rate in force, the date it took effect, and the usual date of its next adjustment. Do not use another province's rate, or a 2026 rate, as a 2027 rate for a different province.
On October 30, 2026, the highest general minimum wage was in Nunavut, at $20.17 per hour from September 1, 2026, followed by Yukon at $18.51 per hour from April 1, 2026, and British Columbia at $18.25 per hour from June 1, 2026, which is the highest rate among the ten provinces. The lowest was in Alberta, at $15.00 per hour, unchanged since October 1, 2018. The federal rate for federally regulated workplaces was $18.15 per hour from April 1, 2026. These are general rates for most employees: several jurisdictions set different rates for particular groups, such as students under 18 or homeworkers, and some jobs are exempt from the minimum wage provisions altogether, so the general rate is the starting point, not the whole rule for every job.
No. Ontario's general minimum wage is $17.95 per hour for the period October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027, as published in the Ontario guide to the Employment Standards Act. The next Ontario rate takes effect on October 1, 2027, and it had not been announced as of October 30, 2026. Ontario adjusts its rate each October 1 in line with the Ontario Consumer Price Index, and the rate for the coming year is published in the spring before it takes effect. The student rate for the current period is $16.90 per hour and the homeworker rate is $19.70 per hour. Hours worked before October 1, 2027, are paid at the $17.95 rate, and hours on or after that date are paid at whatever rate is announced for the new period.
In Ontario, the guide states that most employees are eligible for minimum wage, whether they are full-time, part-time, or casual, and whether they are paid an hourly rate, commission, piece rate, flat rate, or salary. The same general principle applies across Canada: the minimum wage is a floor for covered employees, and compliance is checked on a pay-period basis, with gross pay before deductions needing to reach at least the minimum wage for all hours worked. Some employees have jobs that are exempt from the minimum wage provisions, and the exemptions differ by jurisdiction and are set out in each jurisdiction's employment standards legislation and regulations. Federally regulated employees, such as bank and interprovincial transport workers, follow the federal minimum wage rather than the provincial rate, subject to the higher-rate rule in the next answer.
For employees in federally regulated workplaces, the federal minimum wage applies, and where the provincial or territorial minimum wage is higher than the federal rate, the higher rate applies. That is why a federally regulated worker in British Columbia or Nunavut is paid at least the provincial or territorial rate, which is higher than the federal $18.15, while a federally regulated worker in Alberta is paid at least the federal $18.15, which is higher than Alberta's $15.00. For provincially regulated workers, the provincial or territorial rate is the floor, and the federal rate does not enter into it. The distinction turns on the employer: banks, telecommunications carriers, and interprovincial transport are federally regulated, while most retail, restaurant, and local service jobs are provincially regulated. If the employer's jurisdiction is unclear, the employment standards office for the province or territory, or the federal Labour Program, is the place to check.
Each jurisdiction announces on its own schedule, usually one to six months before the new rate takes effect. The usual adjustment dates are April 1 for the federal rate, Yukon, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador; May 1 for Quebec; June 1 for British Columbia; September 1 for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut; and October 1 for Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have adjusted on varying dates, including twice in 2026. Alberta has no annual adjustment and no scheduled change. The practical recheck dates are therefore the months before each jurisdiction's adjustment date: check the federal rate in early 2027 before April 1, Quebec before May 1, British Columbia before June 1, the northern territories before September 1, and Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan in the spring of 2027 before October 1. Prince Edward Island's April 1, 2027, rate of $17.60 is already announced and needs no recheck.
The rates for jurisdictions other than Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and the federal rate are stated as the rates in force on October 30, 2026, as recorded in the federal Minimum Wage Database summaries and provincial announcements available on that date; the Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and federal figures were checked directly on the official pages cited above. No 2027 rate other than Prince Edward Island's $17.60 is stated in this guide, because no other 2027 rate had been announced as of October 30, 2026. Re-check the employment standards page for the province or territory where the work is done before relying on any rate in this guide, and re-check on the recheck dates above as each 2027 rate is announced: the provincial, territorial, and federal pages govern over any summary, including this guide.