The minimum wage in Quebec has officially increased to $16.60 per hour, a 50-cent jump announced last January.
The government says the 3.11% raise affects approximately 258,900 workers across the province. Tipped employees, such as bartenders and restaurant staff, now earn $13.30 per hour.
Quebec's new rate places it in the middle of the national spectrum. Alberta holds the lowest minimum wage at $15 an hour, while Nunavut leads at $19.75. Ontario's rate is set to climb to $17.95 this October.
A new study from the Quebec socioeconomic think tank IRIS finds that a single person living in Montreal needs to earn roughly $30 per hour just to live above the poverty line.