Alberta, Ontario and BC have all committed to increase their minimum wages to $15 an hour. Alberta and Ontario have committed to specific increases while the new NDP government in BC is creating a Fair Wages Commission to establish a path to a minimum wage of at least $15 per hour.
Minimum wages in most other provinces are around $11 an hour. Most provinces have annual or other semi-regular built-in processes for increasing their minimum wages. But these increases have been relatively modest, far lower than what’s needed to reach $15 in the next few years.
But these other provinces might soon be the odd ones out. Both California and New York City have committed to increase their minimum wages to US$15 within five years, while Chicago, Oregon, Washington DC and other American cities are planning to increase their minimum wages to at least US$12 – equal to CA$15.