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Quebec’s minimum wage is going up this week — Here’s how it stacks up to other provinces

<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/full-frame-of-bills-spread-on-table-and-assorted-amounts-canadian-currency.jpg?id=60046325&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=132%2C0%2C132%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>Starting Thursday, May 1, Quebec's minimum wage will officially increase from $15.75 to $16.10 per hour. That's a 35-cent boost, <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/quebec-minimum-wage-2025" target="_blank">announced by Quebec's Ministry of Labour back in January</a>.</p><p>While it's a welcome change for thousands of workers across the province, it's a bit smaller than <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/quebec-minimum-wage-isnt-enough-to-live" target="_blank">last year's increase</a>, when minimum wage jumped by 50 cents. According to the ministry, about 217,400 people are expected to be affected by the new rate, including students and workers in retail and hospitality jobs.</p><p>At $16.10 an hour, someone working a typical 37.5-hour week at minimum wage would earn a gross annual salary of about $31,395 — roughly $484 more per year than before. For employees who receive tips, the minimum wage is also going up, from $12.60 to $12.90 per hour.</p><p>Based on <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1410022301&utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank">Statistics Canada data</a>, the average weekly salary in Quebec currently sits at $1,237.52, which amounts to about $64,351 per year. That leaves la belle province trailing not just the national average, but also provinces like Alberta, Ontario, and even Newfoundland and Labrador.</p><p>"This increase will raise the minimum wage in a balanced way, respecting the ability of businesses to pay, while allowing workers to boost their income and maintain their purchasing power," said Labour Minister Jean Boulet in a January <a href="https://www.quebec.ca/nouvelles/actualites/details/le-taux-general-du-salaire-minimum-passera-a-1610-lheure-le-1er-mai-2025-60745" target="_blank">news release</a>.</p><p>Since 2019, the Quebec government has increased the minimum wage from $12.00 to $16.10, a bump of 34.2% over six years. The inflation rate has gone up 25% in that time, as per the <a href="https://www.quebec.ca/nouvelles/actualites/details/le-taux-general-du-salaire-minimum-passera-a-1610-lheure-le-1er-mai-2025-60745" target="_blank">Quebec government's website</a>. </p><p>With Quebec's minimum wage about to surpass provinces like Prince Edward Island and Manitoba, and recent wage hikes in Nova Scotia and Yukon, here's how minimum wages will soon stack up across Canada.</p><ul><li>Nunavut: $19.00</li><li>Yukon: $17.94</li><li>British Columbia: $17.40 (increasing to $17.85 on Jun. 1, 2025)</li><li>Ontario: $17.20 (increasing to $17.60 on Oct. 1, 2025)</li><li>Northwest Territories: $16.70</li><li>Quebec: $16.10 (as of May 1, 2025)</li><li>Prince Edward Island: $16.00</li><li>Newfoundland and Labrador: $16.00</li><li>Manitoba: $15.80 (increasing to $16.00 on Oct. 1, 2025)</li><li>Nova Scotia: $15.70 (increasing to $16.50 on Oct. 1, 2025)</li><li>New Brunswick: $15.65</li><li>Saskatchewan: $15.00</li><li>Alberta: $15.00 (unchanged since 2018)</li></ul>