Quebec’s minimum wage is rising this week — Here’s exactly what it means for your paycheque

Many Quebec workers are days away from earning a bigger paycheque.

Starting May 1, the province’s minimum wage rises from $16.10 to $16.60 per hour. That’s a 50-cent increase, or a 3.11% bump, and it’s actually larger than last year’s raise, which came in at 35 cents. For anyone working full-time hours, the math works out to roughly $687 in additional take-home pay over the course of a year. That’s not nothing, given where grocery and rent costs sit right now.

Around 258,900 workers across Quebec are expected to benefit from the pay bump.

If your pay period spans both April and May, your paycheque will reflect the old rate ($16.10) for hours worked until April 30 and the new rate ($16.60) for hours worked from May 1 onward. Since the increase takes effect on Friday, your first pay slip reflecting those hours will likely be issued in mid-May, depending on your employer’s pay cycle.

Tipped workers are included, too. Under Quebec labour law, employees who receive gratuities (those working in hotels, restaurants, bars, campgrounds, and delivery roles) are entitled to a separate minimum rate. That rate climbs from $12.90 to $13.30 per hour on May 1. Any tips earned on top of that belong entirely to you, though you’re required to declare them to your employer each pay period.

Agricultural workers picking berries will also see adjusted piece rates: $4.93 per kilogram for raspberries and $1.32 per kilogram for strawberries.

One thing worth knowing if you earn just above the old minimum: under the Act respecting labour standards, your employer may be legally required to adjust your pay, too. If your current rate falls below $16.60 after May 1, they’re obligated to bring it up.

So, where does Quebec land nationally after all this?

Right in the middle of the pack. Nunavut leads the country at $19.75 per hour, British Columbia sits at $17.85 with another jump to $18.25 coming in June, and Ontario trails Quebec slightly at $17.60. Alberta, with no increases scheduled, remains the lowest in Canada at $15.00.

For some perspective, Quebec’s minimum wage was $12.00 per hour back in May 2018. This week’s increase brings the eight-year climb to $4.60, or about 38%.