Living wage in Greater Toronto Area hits $27.60 an hour as minimum wage rises to $17.95

Workers in the Greater Toronto Area need $27.60 an hour to cover basic living expenses, according to the Ontario Living Wage Network. The provincial minimum wage rose to $17.95 on October 1, 2026, up from $17.60 a year earlier, leaving a $9.65 gap.

No region in Ontario has a minimum wage that covers the cost of living. The lowest living wage in the province this year is $21.15, in London-Elgin-Oxford. Ottawa's living wage rose 70 cents, a three per cent increase and the largest percentage gain of any region. All 10 regions have rising living wage rates, and the GTA average rose 40 cents this year.

Advocates have called the 35-cent minimum wage increase insufficient. Anne Coleman, the network's executive director, described the gap in household terms. "Which bills do you pay? Are you able to provide healthy food for yourself and your family? Put gas in the car so that you can get to and from work or buy that monthly transit pass?" She added: "People who are earning less than a living wage are having to make some really difficult decisions."

HighOnCity reported earlier this year that Toronto minimum-wage workers need nearly all of their monthly pay just for rent.

About 150 employers in the GTA are certified by the network, including JDavis Painting, a firm owned by Jeff McLeod. McLeod said replacing two painters who left would have cost six to 12 months of recovery, so he matched the living wage to keep two skilled painters expected to move into leadership roles. "The math is straightforward," he said. "Happy painters lead to happy clients."

Coleman said paying a living wage is also a way to run a successful business, pointing to better workplace culture and higher retention.

The $17.95 minimum wage applies until September 30, 2027.