June 2026: BC Wage Hike Lands Today — Plus Federal, Yukon, MB, SK & More
Welcome to our June 2026 issue — and today is the day BC's minimum wage steps up to $18.25. Every BC employer should audit affected pay rates and update job postings right now. Platform workers delivering food or providing ride-hail services also move to a new engaged-time rate of $21.89 today. We're also catching up on recent changes across the country. Yukon quietly raised its minimum wage to $18.51 per hour on April 1, making it one of Canada's highest general minimum wage rates — Nunavut remains higher at $19.75/hour (effective September 1, 2025). Federal employers also have an April 1 wage update to check: the federal minimum wage is now $18.15/hour, unless the applicable provincial or territorial minimum wage is higher. Manitoba has confirmed its October 2026 increase to $16.40, and Saskatchewan's $15.35 rate (effective last October) is now the confirmed floor for that province. Finally, our Free Vacation & Attendance Tracker is live at canadapolicymanual.com/vacation-attendance-tracker — a privacy-first tool covering every Canadian province and territory except Quebec, plus federally regulated workplaces. No sign-up needed.
Legal updates
BC general minimum wage rises to $18.25 — effective today
BC
Effective 2026-06-01
British Columbia's general minimum wage increases from $17.85 to $18.25 per hour effective June 1, 2026. The rate applies to most employees regardless of pay method — hourly, salary, commission, or piece rate. Employers must top up any employee earning below the new floor on each pay period.
BC online platform workers: $21.89/hour of engaged time from today
BC
Effective 2026-06-01
Delivery and ride-hail platform workers in BC must be paid at least $21.89 per hour of engaged time effective June 1, 2026. Review contractor classifications and ensure platform agreements reflect this rate.
Yukon minimum wage is now $18.51 — one of Canada's highest general rates
YT
Effective 2026-04-01
Effective April 1, 2026, Yukon's minimum wage rose from $17.94 to $18.51 per hour — a 3.2% increase tied to the Whitehorse Consumer Price Index. The rate increases every April 1 under the Employment Standards Act regulations. Yukon's $18.51 rate is one of Canada's highest general minimum wages; Nunavut remains higher at $19.75/hour (effective September 1, 2025).
Federal minimum wage is now $18.15/hour
FED
Effective 2026-04-01
The federal minimum wage increased from $17.75 to $18.15 per hour effective April 1, 2026. Federally regulated employers must ensure employees are paid at least the federal minimum wage. If the applicable provincial or territorial minimum wage is higher than the federal rate, the higher rate applies.
Manitoba confirms $16.40/hour minimum wage effective October 1, 2026
MB
Effective 2026-10-01
Manitoba's minimum wage is currently $16.00 per hour (effective October 1, 2025) and will rise to $16.40 per hour on October 1, 2026. Manitoba employers should build the 40¢ increase into fall payroll planning and update offer letters and job postings before October.
Saskatchewan minimum wage: $15.35/hour since October 2025
SK
Saskatchewan's general minimum wage rose to $15.35 per hour effective October 1, 2025, up from $15.00 per hour. This is the current rate for most employees in the province. No further increase has been announced for October 2026 at time of publication.
Ontario minimum wage set to reach $17.95 on October 1, 2026
ON
Effective 2026-10-01
Ontario's general minimum wage will rise from $17.60 to $17.95 per hour on October 1, 2026, indexed to the Ontario Consumer Price Index. The student minimum wage increases to $16.90/hour at the same time. Compliance is assessed on a pay-period basis.
Ontario's 44-hour overtime threshold: a refresher for summer schedules
ON
For most Ontario employees, overtime begins after 44 hours in a work week at 1.5 times the regular rate. Employees can enter written agreements for time-off-in-lieu at 1.5 hours off per overtime hour, or averaging agreements over two or more consecutive weeks — both require a written agreement.
Nova Scotia minimum wage: $16.75 now, $17.00 on October 1
NS
Effective 2026-10-01
Nova Scotia's general minimum wage moved to $16.75 per hour on April 1, 2026, and rises again to $17.00 per hour on October 1, 2026. Separate wage orders govern construction/property maintenance and logging operations.
Alberta minimum wage: $15.00/hour — no change announced
AB
Alberta's general minimum wage remains at $15.00 per hour. A separate job-creation student wage of $13.00 per hour applies to eligible students under 18. When school is in session, the $13.00 rate applies to the first 28 hours worked in a week, with the general $15.00 rate applying to hours above 28. When school is not in session — including spring break, Christmas break, and summer vacation — the $13.00 student wage applies to all regular hours worked. No increase has been announced for 2026 at time of publication.
Federal employers: accessibility plan obligations under the ACA
FED
The Accessible Canada Act requires federally regulated employers — including banking, telecommunications, transportation, Crown corporations, and Parliament — to prepare and publish accessibility plans, maintain feedback processes, and report on progress toward a barrier-free Canada by 2040. Mid-year is a good time to review your plan status.
Federal severance pay: 2 days per year of service under the Canada Labour Code
FED
Federally regulated employees with 12 or more consecutive months of service are entitled to severance pay at 2 days' wages per completed year of service, with a minimum of 5 days. Group terminations involving 50 or more employees at a single industrial establishment within a 4-week period require at least 16 weeks' written notice to the Labour Program's Head of Compliance and Enforcement, plus required copies and workplace posting.
What's changed in your manual
BC minimum wage pre-staged for June 1, 2026
BC wage clauses in all active manuals have been pre-staged for the $18.25 increase and update automatically on the effective date.
Federal minimum wage updated
Federal wage clauses now reflect the $18.15/hour federal minimum wage effective April 1, 2026, with the higher provincial/territorial wage rule preserved where applicable.
Ontario minimum wage updated and October increase pre-staged
ON manual templates reflect the current $17.60/hour rate, with the $17.95 October 2026 increase queued for auto-refresh on October 1.
Nova Scotia two-step wage schedule staged
NS clauses reflect the April 2026 rate of $16.75/hour; the October 2026 increase to $17.00 is queued for automatic update.
Federal termination and severance module refreshed
Federal employer termination notice, severance-pay, and group-termination clauses updated to align with current Canada Labour Code provisions.
Compliance calendar
Federal minimum wage rose to $18.15/hr
2026-04-01
FED
Federally regulated employers should confirm payroll systems reflect the $18.15/hour federal minimum wage effective April 1, 2026. If the applicable provincial or territorial minimum wage is higher, the higher rate applies.
Yukon minimum wage rose to $18.51/hr (effective April 1)
2026-04-01
YT
If you missed this update: Yukon's minimum wage rose to $18.51/hr on April 1, 2026. Verify any YT payroll is compliant with the new rate retroactively.
BC general minimum wage → $18.25/hr (TODAY)
2026-06-01
BC
Update payroll systems, job postings, and offer letters. Liquor servers move to the same $18.25 general rate; live-in camp leaders move to $145.64/day.
BC platform worker engaged-time rate → $21.89/hr (TODAY)
2026-06-01
BC
Delivery and ride-hail platform workers must be paid at least $21.89 per hour of engaged time. Review platform agreements and contractor classifications.
National Indigenous Peoples Day — statutory holiday (YT & NT)
2026-06-21
YT/NT
June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day and is a statutory holiday under territorial employment standards in Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Federally regulated employers should confirm obligations under the Canada Labour Code, collective agreements, and internal holiday policies before assuming it is automatically a paid holiday.
Canada Day — statutory holiday across all jurisdictions
2026-07-01
FED
July 1 is a paid general holiday in all Canadian provinces and territories. Confirm holiday-pay calculations, identify employees working on the holiday, and process premium pay accordingly.
First Monday in August — holiday entitlements vary significantly by jurisdiction
2026-08-03
BC/NB/AB/ON/MB
August 3, 2026 is BC Day (a statutory holiday in BC) and New Brunswick Day (a paid public holiday in NB). Alberta's Heritage Day is listed under optional holidays and is not one of Alberta's 9 statutory general holidays. Ontario's Civic Holiday is not one of Ontario's 9 ESA public holidays. Manitoba's Terry Fox Day is not a general holiday. Verify each province's rules before processing holiday pay.
Ontario minimum wage → $17.95/hr
2026-10-01
ON
Ontario's general minimum wage rises from $17.60 to $17.95 per hour. Update payroll, pay stubs, and documents referencing the current rate — book this in your August payroll calendar now.
Nova Scotia minimum wage → $17.00/hr
2026-10-01
NS
NS minimum wage rises from $16.75 to $17.00 per hour. Update payroll, postings, and offer letters. Separate orders govern construction and logging sectors.
Manitoba minimum wage → $16.40/hr
2026-10-01
MB
MB minimum wage rises from $16.00 to $16.40 per hour. Review all MB employment contracts and job postings and update payroll systems before the effective date.
Featured read
Ontario Overtime Pay Rules: The 44-Hour Rule, Salaried Employees, Time Off in Lieu, and ExamplesOntario's 44-hour overtime threshold trips up even experienced payroll teams — especially for salaried staff and mixed-role workers. This plain-English guide walks through the ESA rule, time-off-in-lieu options, averaging agreements, and worked examples so you can get summer scheduling right.
Get overtime averaging agreements signed before summer schedules start
Under Ontario's ESA, you can average an employee's hours over two or more consecutive weeks for overtime purposes — but only if a written agreement is in place before the averaging period begins. Without one, any week over 44 hours triggers 1.5x overtime pay. If your team runs longer summer shifts, review every affected role, prepare a simple written agreement, and have it signed before the first averaging period starts. Other provinces have their own rules for overtime banking, averaging, or time off in lieu, and many require a written agreement. Always confirm the rule in the applicable jurisdiction before using an averaging or time-off-in-lieu arrangement.
Yukon updates its minimum wage every April 1 using the Whitehorse CPI
Yukon's minimum wage is adjusted every April 1 using inflation, calculated with the Consumer Price Index for Whitehorse. The April 1, 2026 increase moved the rate from $17.94 to $18.51 per hour, a 3.2% increase.
Thanks for reading the June 2026 issue. Keep both free tools bookmarked: the Termination Calculator at /termination-calculator and the new Vacation & Attendance Tracker at /vacation-attendance-tracker. See you in July.