This is where you can make the highest minimum wage in Canada

The hourly federal minimum wage in Canada will increase to $17.30 on April 1, which is good news for a small group of workers.

According to a late 2022 government release, there are approximately 19,000 employers in federally regulated industries, including federal Crown corporations that together employ 945,000 people.

This amounts to just 6% of all Canadian employees, including workers and interns in businesses like banks, telecom companies, and interprovincial air, marine, rail and road transportation.

If you’re a non-federal (or “general”) minimum wage worker, your province or territory decides your minimum wage rate. Many provinces and territories are also set to increase their hourly minimum wages this year.

So, where does one make the most money working a minimum wage job in the True North?

The highest minimum wage in Canada

As of January 1, 2024, minimum wage workers in Nunavut make $19 hourly (up from $16), and it’s because life in the territory is far from affordable.

To someone in Alberta, where the general minimum wage has been $15 since 2018, or someone in Ontario, where you can make $16.55, an hourly rate of $19 might seem like a lot.

“We recognize Nunavummiut face the highest cost of living in Canada and that during this time of increasing costs and high inflation, the financial pressure on Nunavummiut has increased,” MLA David Akeeagok told the legislative assembly in January, according to Nunatsiaq News.

Things do look dramatically different in Nunavut when you consider the cost of living, average pay, ease of access to essentials, and other factors.

Comparing earning averages

According to Statistics Canada, the average hourly earnings (including overtime) for hourly employees in Nunavut in December last year were $41.17. For salaried employees, this average soared to $54.89.

Comparatively, in BC, a province known for its high housing and living costs, the hourly employee earnings averaged $30.36, and salaried employees made $44.89.

In Ontario, another notoriously pricy province, these numbers were $29.30 and $44.22, respectively.

Access to food and essentials

There are very few grocery stores — mostly community-run co-ops — in Nunavut, which means affordability is affected by more than just general inflation.

This is a unique circumstance compared to many other provinces, where massive chains like Walmart, No Frills, and Loblaws exist in significant numbers.

In January, a TikTok user in Nunavut’s capital city, Iqaluit, shared the cost of groceries, shocking Canadians based in other regions.

One of the items was a 2.63-litre jug of Tropicana orange juice with lots of pulp, which you can buy at a Walmart in Ontario for $7.78. In Iqaluit, however, people pay $19.99 for it.

Here’s a screenshot from @lindysaldova’s video.

Other items on her list included a 1.66-litre container of Breyers Reese’s ice cream for $21.59 (usually $4.99) and a 693-gram pack of Pillsbury Pizza Bites for $17.56, as opposed to the $7-8 price tag seen in major provinces and big cities.

Per a 2021 population census, Nunavut was home to just 36,855 people. Of this, 12,080 were kids under 14 and 23,170 were individuals aged 15 to 64, which includes most working-age individuals.

Though the population density is low, housing costs are pretty high.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation said in its 2023 Northern Housing Report that rental demand was so high in the capital city of Iqaluit that the vacancy rate was just 0.6%. Median rent for all bedroom types (excluding social housing) rose to a whopping $2,835.

Here’s what rent by bedroom type looked like:

According to a report released by Rentals.ca and Urbanation earlier this week, the average rent across the nation has climbed over 20% in the last two years.

And yet, it mostly remains way below Nunavut’s averages.

Minimum wages across Canada

The hourly minimum wage is increasing in many other provinces across Canada on April 1, including New Brunswick ($15.30), Yukon ($17.59), Newfoundland and Labrador ($15.60), Nova Scotia ($15.20) and Prince Edward Island ($15.40). Another increase will come to Prince Edward Island on October 1 ($16).

Saskatchewan will also see the minimum increase to $15 on October 1; the same day, Manitoba’s rate will increase to $15.40. BC will raise it to $17.40 an hour on June 1, up from the 2023 rate of $ hour.

Unfortunately, some Canadians won’t see a bigger pay cheque this year.

Alberta will not be raising its minimum wage, becoming the province that has gone the longest without a wage hike, last raising it in 2018.

Other territories and provinces that will not receive a minimum wage increase include the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, and Quebec.

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