Last Thursday, I took my son to the Rose Center for Earth and Space at New York’s Museum of Natural History. In the Hayden Planetarium, we watched a simulation of the Milky Way bloom above us, while the actor Pedro Pascal — who truly is everywhere — narrated the galactic dance unfolding on the screen. […]
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/close-up-of-a-one-hundred-canadian-dollar-bill-showing-the-map-of-canada-surrounded-by-coins.jpg?id=59800284&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=45%2C0%2C45%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>If you’ve ever looked at your paycheque and wondered if people in other parts of Canada are earning way more, you're not alone — and you might be right.</p><p>New <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1410022301&utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank">data from Statistics Canada</a> has revealed the average salaries across the country as of January 2025, and let's just say Quebec isn't exactly leading the charge. While Canada's national average climbed to $1,294.26 per week — about $67,300 per year — Quebecers are still earning <em>well</em> below that benchmark.</p> <h3>Quebec is stuck in the bottom half</h3> <p>The average weekly salary in Quebec is $1,237.52, which works out to around $64,351 per year. That puts la belle province below not only the national average but also behind provinces like Alberta, Ontario, and even Newfoundland and Labrador.</p><p>To put it into perspective, here’s how we compare:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Alberta:</strong> $71,140/year</li> <li> <strong>Ontario:</strong> $69,147/year</li> <li> <strong>Quebec:</strong> $64,351/year</li> </ul> <p>While Quebec isn't dead last, we're definitely closer to the bottom than the top.</p> <h3>The North is rolling in it</h3> <p>Shockingly, the highest average salaries in Canada aren't even in the provinces — they're up north. Nunavut takes the top spot with a weekly wage of $1,821.77 — over $94,700 per year — followed closely by the Northwest Territories and Yukon.</p><p>That means workers in Nunavut are making over $30,000 more than the average Quebecer, and nearly $40,000 more than those in P.E.I., which had the lowest average salary in Canada.</p><p>High salaries in northern regions are often tied to remote work conditions, higher living costs, and the difficulty of attracting talent to isolated communities.</p> <h3>Quebec’s wage growth is steady — but it’s not enough</h3> <p>Yes, Quebec salaries have grown in the past year — but not fast enough to keep pace with provinces that are home to booming sectors like oil and tech. <span style="background-color: initial;">While <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/quebec-minimum-wage-2025" target="_blank">minimum wage is set to increase from $15.75 to $16.10</a> per hour on May 1, 2025, t</span><span style="background-color: initial;">his 2.22% raise will benefit approximately 217,400 employees,</span></p><p>And with job vacancies on the decline across the country, it's not getting any easier to level the playing field.</p> <p>Here's how each province and territory stacks up, ranked by average weekly earnings as of January 2025:</p><span></span><h4>Above the national average:</h4> <ul> <li> <strong>Nunavut</strong> – $1,821.77/week ($94,732/year)</li> <li> <strong>Northwest Territories</strong> – $1,814.09/week ($94,333/year)</li> <li> <strong>Yukon</strong> – $1,484.62/week ($77,200/year)</li> <li> <strong>Alberta</strong> – $1,368.07/week ($71,140/year)</li> <li> <strong>Ontario</strong> – $1,329.75/week ($69,147/year)</li> <li> <strong>British Columbia</strong> – $1,299.99/week ($67,599/year)</li> </ul> <h4>Below the national average:</h4> <ul> <li> <strong>Newfoundland & Labrador</strong> – $1,286.67/week ($66,907/year)</li> <li> <strong>Saskatchewan</strong> – $1,262.05/week ($65,627/year)</li> <li> <strong>Quebec</strong> – $1,237.52/week ($64,351/year)</li> <li> <strong>New Brunswick</strong> – $1,182.25/week ($61,477/year)</li> <li> <strong>Manitoba</strong> – $1,164.53/week ($60,556/year)</li> <li> <strong>Nova Scotia</strong> – $1,148.93/week ($59,744/year)</li> <li> <strong>Prince Edward Island</strong> – $1,097.38/week ($57,064/year)</li></ul><p><em>Love this? Check out our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/notices/" target="_blank">MTL Blog noticeboard</a> for details on jobs, benefits, travel info and more!</em></p>
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