September 2026: Wage Changes, Holiday Pay & the October Compliance Countdown
September is the hand-off month between today's payroll changes and the October compliance deadline. The Northwest Territories and Nunavut minimum-wage increases are now in force. Five provincial rates change October 1, Manitoba's revised medical-certificate rules begin the same day, federal equal-treatment duties follow on October 20, and many British Columbia employers have a November 1 pay-transparency reporting deadline. This issue turns those dates into a practical four-week action plan. It also introduces two source-linked payroll tools: the Stat Holiday Pay Calculator and the Overtime Calculator. Coverage is for federally regulated employers and employers in every province and territory except Quebec.
Legal updates
Northwest Territories — $17.20 minimum wage is now in force
NT
Effective September 1, 2026
The general minimum wage increased from $16.95 to $17.20 per hour on September 1, 2026. Separate pre-change and post-change hours when a pay period crosses the effective date. Recheck overtime, premiums, offers, job ads and wage grids that use the general rate.
Nunavut — $20.17 minimum wage is now in force
NU
Effective September 1, 2026
The general minimum wage increased from $19.75 to $20.17 per hour on September 1, 2026. The rate is not limited by age. Check the work jurisdiction, special rules and any contract or collective-agreement terms before changing payroll.
Manitoba — $16.40 minimum wage begins October 1
MB
Effective October 1, 2026
The general minimum wage increases from $16.00 to $16.40 per hour. Load and test the new rate before the first affected payroll, then review wage-linked premiums, offer templates and job postings.
Nova Scotia — $17.00 minimum wage begins October 1
NS
Effective October 1, 2026
The general minimum wage increases from $16.75 to $17.00 per hour. Confirm which employees and special categories are covered, and test the first payroll that contains October hours.
Ontario — $17.95 general minimum wage begins October 1
ON
Effective October 1, 2026
Ontario's general minimum wage increases from $17.60 to $17.95 per hour. Student, homeworker and wilderness-guide rates also change. Match each employee to the correct category instead of applying one rate to every worker.
Prince Edward Island — $17.30 minimum wage begins October 1
PE
Effective October 1, 2026
The general minimum wage increases from $17.00 to $17.30 per hour. Update payroll, job-posting ranges, offers and any policy examples that contain a wage amount. PEI has also announced a further increase for April 1, 2027, so keep that second date on the payroll calendar.
Saskatchewan — $15.70 minimum wage begins October 1
SK
Effective October 1, 2026
The general minimum wage increases from $15.35 to $15.70 per hour. Confirm the ordinary or modified schedule that applies before calculating overtime, and update every wage-linked template before October hours are processed.
Manitoba — revise medical-certificate requests before October 1
MB
Effective October 1, 2026
New limits on medical-certificate requests for illness or injury begin October 1, 2026. Update the attendance policy, manager script and request form together. Do not leave an old short-absence note requirement in a handbook or scheduling system after the operational process changes.
Federal — equal-treatment processes must be ready for October 20
FED
Effective October 20, 2026
Covered federally regulated employers should finish their comparable-work review, wage-review intake and written-response process, and written employment-and-promotion opportunity notices. Temporary-help-agency arrangements also require review. The ordinary wage-review response period is 90 days.
British Columbia — 50+ employee pay reports are due November 1
BC
Effective November 1, 2026
Most provincially regulated employers with 50 or more B.C. employees must prepare and publish a prescribed pay-transparency report by November 1, 2026. Confirm the January 1 headcount rule, protect voluntary demographic information and leave time for data reconciliation and review.
September 30 — confirm the holiday rule before scheduling or paying
FED
Effective September 30, 2026
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a federal general holiday. Provincial and territorial treatment is not identical, and eligibility, substitute-day and work-on-the-holiday rules can differ. Start with the employee's work jurisdiction and employer coverage; do not copy one location's payroll treatment to every workplace.
What's changed in your manual
September 1 payroll evidence
Preserve the NWT and Nunavut rate change, approval, configuration screenshot and first-payroll test result in one controlled record.
Statutory-holiday decision sheet
Record the work jurisdiction, coverage, holiday, eligibility answers, formula inputs, work-on-holiday treatment and approving payroll reviewer.
October wage rollout
Prepare one implementation row for each affected worker in Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan.
Manitoba attendance procedure
Replace outdated short-absence medical-note wording in the policy, manager script, form and scheduling workflow before October 1.
Federal equal-treatment workflow
Assign the intake owner, comparable-work reviewer, written-response approver and 90-day deadline monitor before October 20.
B.C. pay-report data review
Confirm scope, reconcile payroll fields, protect voluntary demographic information and schedule final review well before November 1.
Compliance calendar
NWT and Nunavut minimum-wage increases are in force
2026-09-01
NT/NU
Release the tested rates, separate hours around the effective-date boundary and check the first affected payroll.
Labour Day payroll check
2026-09-07
FED
Confirm eligibility, holiday-pay formula, work-on-the-holiday premium or substitute-day treatment for each employee's jurisdiction.
Recommended internal cut-off for October 1 payroll testing
2026-09-18
MB/NS/ON/PE/SK
Load MB, NS, ON, PE and SK rates in a test environment and reconcile the first affected pay run before release.
Recommended scheduling and payroll review for September 30
2026-09-25
FED
Confirm coverage, eligibility, schedule, substitute day and pay formula before managers approve shifts.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
2026-09-30
FED
Apply only the rule for the employee's work jurisdiction and the employer's federal or provincial coverage.
Five provincial minimum-wage increases
2026-10-01
MB/NS/ON/PE/SK
MB $16.40, NS $17.00, ON $17.95, PE $17.30 and SK $15.70. Audit the first affected payroll and every wage-linked document.
Manitoba medical-certificate restrictions begin
2026-10-01
MB
Activate the revised attendance policy, manager instructions and request form together.
Federal equal-treatment rules begin
2026-10-20
FED
Launch wage-review intake, written opportunity notices and the 90-day response process; review temporary-help-agency terms.
B.C. pay-transparency reports due for most 50+ employers
2026-11-01
BC
Publish the prescribed report on a publicly accessible website if the organization is in scope.
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Use a two-person payroll change check
One person enters the new rate or holiday rule; another compares the effective date, employee list and calculated result with the official source. Save the approval and the first-payroll test. This small separation catches the most expensive errors: the right rate on the wrong date, the right rule applied to the wrong jurisdiction, and a change that never reached a linked template.
Seven general minimum-wage changes land in 30 days
NWT and Nunavut changed September 1. Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan change October 1. The general rate is only the starting point: special categories, collective agreements and the employee's work jurisdiction can change the answer.
Use the official source linked to each item, apply the rule for the employee's work jurisdiction and preserve the implementation evidence. Fact-specific or unusual arrangements may need professional review.