Canada has no single minimum wage. Each province and territory sets its own floor, and Ottawa sets a separate federal rate for the industries it regulates. The result for 2026 is a spread of more than four dollars an hour between the lowest and the highest jurisdiction, which changes the annual pay of a full-time job by roughly ten thousand dollars depending only on where you clock in. Here is where every rate stands partway through 2026, which ones are scheduled to move later in the year, and what the numbers mean for a weekly pay packet.
The 2026 rates, highest to lowest
The figures below are the general adult minimum wage in force during mid-2026. Several provinces adjust on a fixed date each year, so a few are already carrying a scheduled increase for later in 2026, noted in the last column.
| Province or territory | Rate | In effect since | Next change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nunavut | $19.75 | 1 Sep 2025 | under review |
| Yukon | $18.51 | 1 Apr 2026 | annual, 1 Apr |
| British Columbia | $18.25 | 1 Jun 2026 | annual, 1 Jun |
| Prince Edward Island | $17.00 | 1 Apr 2026 | annual |
| Northwest Territories | $16.95 | 1 Sep 2025 | review 1 Sep 2026 |
| Nova Scotia | $16.75 | 1 Apr 2026 | $17.00 on 1 Oct 2026 |
| Ontario | $17.60 | 1 Oct 2025 | $17.95 on 1 Oct 2026 |
| Quebec | $16.60 | 1 May 2026 | annual, 1 May |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $16.35 | 1 Apr 2026 | annual, 1 Apr |
| Manitoba | $16.00 | 1 Oct 2025 | $16.40 on 1 Oct 2026 |
| New Brunswick | $15.90 | 1 Apr 2026 | annual, 1 Apr |
| Saskatchewan | $15.35 | 1 Oct 2025 | review 1 Oct 2026 |
| Alberta | $15.00 | 1 Oct 2018 | none announced |
Nunavut sits at the top at $19.75, a reflection of how much more it costs to live in the North. Alberta holds the bottom at $15.00, unchanged since 2018 and now the lowest general rate in the country. Saskatchewan is a step above it at $15.35. To check your own hourly pay against the floor where you work, the minimum wage calculator shows the gap in dollars per hour and per year.
The federal rate is separate
Alongside the provincial rates, the federal minimum wage rose to $18.15 an hour on 1 April 2026, up from $17.75. This one does not apply to most jobs. It covers only federally regulated work: banks, airlines and airports, railways and interprovincial trucking, telecommunications, broadcasting, and the postal service. If a province’s own rate happens to be higher than the federal figure, the higher one wins for those workers. The federal rate is re-set every 1 April in line with the previous year’s average Consumer Price Index, which is why it climbs by a few cents to a few dimes each spring.
What full-time actually pays
A minimum wage reads as an hourly number, but a job is lived as a monthly or yearly figure. Take a standard 40-hour week across 52 weeks, which is 2,080 paid hours a year. At Alberta’s $15.00 that is $31,200 gross. At British Columbia’s $18.25 it is $37,960, and at Nunavut’s $19.75 it is $41,080. The same working pattern, a difference of nearly $9,900 a year between the cheapest and dearest jurisdiction.
Gross is not take-home, though. Federal and provincial income tax, Canada Pension Plan contributions and Employment Insurance all come off before the money lands. On a low wage the basic personal amounts shield a large share of it, so the effective tax rate is modest, but it is not zero. Run any of these annual figures through the Canada salary calculator to see the net for your province after CPP, EI and tax.
Overtime sits on top
Minimum wage is the floor for ordinary hours. Once you pass the weekly overtime threshold, pay steps up to at least 1.5 times your regular rate, so a minimum wage worker earns more than the headline number for those hours. The threshold varies: Ontario starts overtime after 44 hours in a week, while several provinces and the federal rules use 40. On Ontario’s $17.60, time and a half is $26.40 an hour. The overtime pay calculator works out a full week that mixes regular and overtime hours, and the pro-rata salary calculator scales a full-time figure down if you work part time.
Frequently asked questions
Which province has the highest minimum wage in 2026? Nunavut, at $19.75 an hour, followed by Yukon at $18.51 and British Columbia at $18.25. The three territories and BC are the only jurisdictions above $18.
Which has the lowest? Alberta, at $15.00 an hour, a rate frozen since 2018. Saskatchewan is next at $15.35.
Does the $18.15 federal rate apply to my job? Only if you work in a federally regulated industry such as banking, air travel, rail, interprovincial trucking, telecoms or the post. Everyone else is covered by their province or territory. Where a provincial rate is higher, federally regulated workers there get the higher rate.
Do minimum wage workers get a lower rate for overtime or tips? No. Overtime is paid at a premium, usually 1.5 times the regular rate past the weekly threshold. Some provinces set a separate lower rate for liquor servers or students, but the general adult rate is the one in the table above.
When do the rates change again? Most provinces adjust on a fixed annual date tied to inflation. Nova Scotia moves to $17.00 on 1 October 2026, Ontario to $17.95 on the same day, and Manitoba to $16.40. Others review in the autumn, so the map shifts through the second half of the year.
Sources: Employment and Social Development Canada, federal minimum wage, Retail Council of Canada, minimum wage by province, provincial and territorial labour ministries. Rates are the general adult minimum in effect during 2026. This is general information, not employment or legal advice.