The Progressive Conservative government of Ontario said that if re-elected in June, it will raise the minimum wage by another 50 cents.

This was announced by Labor Minister Monte McNaughton on Tuesday afternoon, saying the wage increase will take effect in early fall.

This will raise the minimum wage in Ontario to $15.50 per hour.

In January, the minimum wage was raised from $14.35 per hour to $15 per hour. The same wage was set for alcohol servers and workers on app-based platforms such as Uber drivers and others.

The last time the minimum wage was raised was in October 2020.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford originally scrapped the $15 minimum wage in 2018 after being elected. At that time, he argued it would be too costly for businesses and instead chose to increase it by 35 cents.

When he announced the almost one dollar wage increase in November 2021, the Premier cited the pandemic as the main reason behind ending the wage freeze.

He told reporters, "Things were very different in 2018."

Affordability has already proven to be a major election issue, with almost all political parties pledging to raise the minimum wage if elected.

The Ontario Liberals promised $16 an hour by 2023, along with 10 paid sick days if they win in June. The New Democratic Party also promised a $16 minimum wage starting October 1, but said it would slowly raise that amount to $20 by 2026.

According to a 2021 report by the Ontario Living Wage Network, people living in Toronto need to earn at least $22.08 per hour to cover basic expenses such as food, clothing, shelter, transportation, childcare, and medical care, among other necessities.

Edited by: Dima Abu Khair