The Ontario government has announced a plan to increase the minimum wage to $14 per hour on January 1, 2018, and $15 per hour on January 1, 2019, followed by annual increases at the rate of inflation.
The proposed increase to the minimum wage is in keeping with CMHA Ontario’s recommendation to the Minimum Wage Advisory Panel in 2013 for a gradual increase in the minimum wage over 5 years, to reach a wage of 10 percent above the poverty line by 2018.
Income is an important social determinant of health. Research shows that people with disabilities have lower incomes than people without disabilities, have a higher risk of poverty, are less likely to be employed, and are at risk of social exclusion. When people with disabilities are employed, jobs tend to be in entry level positions often at minimum wage.
For more information on minimum wage increases, visit the Government of Ontario website.