Canada briefings

Cafes & coffee shops

Cafes & coffee shops · 2026-07-14

Ontario's minimum wage goes to $17.95 in October. The 35 cents is not the problem.

If you run a cafe or restaurant in Ontario, here is your headline: the general minimum wage goes from $17.60 to $17.95 an hour on 1 October 2026, up 35 cents, about 2%. That is a small rise, and it is smaller still once you see how it works. The useful part is not the number. It is that Ontario told you in April and does not start charging it until October, and it goes up like this every year. Here is what the increase actually costs you on your own roster, and how to make the six-month head start pay for itself instead of quietly eating your margin.