Quebec’s minimum wage is now $16.60 per hour

The minimum wage in four provinces is going up Tuesday. Canadian dollars are pictured in Vancouver, Sept. 22, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

By The Canadian Press

Posted May 1, 2026 05:00:20 AM.

Last Updated May 1, 2026 05:03:21 AM.

The minimum wage in Quebec is now $16.60 per hour.

The government announced the $0.50 per hour increase last January.

It says this represents a 3.11 per cent raise for some 258,900 workers in Quebec.

Employees who receive tips, like bartenders and restaurant workers, are now paid $13.30 per hour.

Quebec’s minimum wage falls in the middle of that of other Canadian provinces and territories.

Alberta has the lowest minimum wage at $15 an hour, while Nunavut has the highest at $19.75. Ontario’s minimum wage is set to increase to $17.95 in October.

A study published yesterday by Quebec socioeconomic think tank IRIS shows someone living in Montreal needs to earn about $30 per hour to live above the poverty line.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2026.

The Canadian Press

Keep it Factual

Add CityNews Halifax as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.

Add as a preferred source on Google

Submit a Correction

Accessibility Feedback

Top Stories

France rejects plan to send its last two captive orcas to live in Nova Scotia refuge

HALIFAX — A non-profit group in Nova Scotia has failed in its bid to bring two orcas from France to live in a seaside refuge being built for whales retired from marine theme parks. The Whale Sanctuary...

4h ago

Macdonald Bridge to close Sunday morning for Bluenose Marathon

It's Bluenose Marathon weekend in Halifax and along with lots of events for participants, there are road closures to be aware of. Events are underway with several impacts for commuters through Sunday. Street...

4h ago

Canadian isolating in B.C. tests "presumptive positive" for hantavirus

British Columbia's provincial health officer says one of the four Canadians isolating in the province who had been on a cruise ship where there was a hantavirus outbreak has received a "presumptive positive"...

1h ago

Canadian wineries say scrapping provincial trade barriers would add billions to GDP

HALIFAX — Canada’s wine sector is worth more than $10 billion a year and the industry says a few tweaks — like scrapping domestic trade barriers — could add billions of dollars more to the national...

13h ago

Top Stories

France rejects plan to send its last two captive orcas to live in Nova Scotia refuge

HALIFAX — A non-profit group in Nova Scotia has failed in its bid to bring two orcas from France to live in a seaside refuge being built for whales retired from marine theme parks. The Whale Sanctuary...

4h ago

Macdonald Bridge to close Sunday morning for Bluenose Marathon

It's Bluenose Marathon weekend in Halifax and along with lots of events for participants, there are road closures to be aware of. Events are underway with several impacts for commuters through Sunday. Street...

4h ago

Canadian isolating in B.C. tests "presumptive positive" for hantavirus

British Columbia's provincial health officer says one of the four Canadians isolating in the province who had been on a cruise ship where there was a hantavirus outbreak has received a "presumptive positive"...

1h ago

Canadian wineries say scrapping provincial trade barriers would add billions to GDP

HALIFAX — Canada’s wine sector is worth more than $10 billion a year and the industry says a few tweaks — like scrapping domestic trade barriers — could add billions of dollars more to the national...

13h ago

Most Watched Today

0:43

Air Canada to cut flights to U.S.: These are the destinations affected

Air Canada says it is scaling back more of its U.S. summer service as soaring jet fuel prices continue to reshape airline schedules across the country.

May 8, 2026 2:06 pm AST AST

2:47

Israel kills most senior Hamas leader in Gaza strike

Israel has killed the most senior Hamas militant leader in a strike on Gaza City. As Karling Donoghue explains, the assassination comes amid a fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

3h ago

2:42

Cuba runs out of diesel and fuel oil, as U.S. blockade pushes island to brink

Cuban officials say the island has completely run out of diesel, crude and fuel oil amid the ongoing U.S. blockade. Karling Donoghue details the worsening crisis and U.S. plans to indict the country's former president.

3h ago

2:22

Carney, Smith reach carbon price deal, advance pipeline

Canada is cutting future targets for industrial carbon pricing, as part of efforts to help Alberta build an oil pipeline. The project still has no private proponent, but does have a planned start date.

22h ago

2:03

Death toll rises in Russian attack on Kyiv apartment building

A Russian missile strike on an apartment building in Kyiv has killed 24 people including three children. Erica Natividad with the outpouring of grief in Ukraine's capital.

May 15, 2026 6:57 pm AST AST