Pay is the first thing most people want to know, and it is the thing job postings are often vaguest about. This is a straight answer, built from two sources: the legal minimum in each province where We Staff Canada hires, and what our own 97 live job postings are actually paying as of 24 September 2026.
The legal floor where we hire
Minimum wage is set provincially and the gap between provinces is wider than most people expect.
- Ontario: $17.95 an hour from October 1, 2026, up from $17.60. Adjusted annually against the Ontario Consumer Price Index.
- Quebec: $16.60 an hour, in effect since May 1, 2026.
- Alberta: $15.00 an hour, unchanged since October 1, 2018. This is the lowest general minimum wage in Canada.
That is a spread of $2.95 between Ontario and Alberta for the same legal floor. It matters if you are comparing offers across provinces, and it is the single biggest reason an Alberta rate and an Ontario rate are not directly comparable.
What our live postings actually pay
Across 97 active hourly roles on our job board right now, rates run from $16.60 to $36.00 an hour, with a median band of $21.00 to $24.00. Broken down by the work itself:
- General labour, 21 roles: $16.60 to $25.00, median band $17.95 to $19.95
- Warehouse and logistics, 14 roles: $18.00 to $27.00, median band $21.00 to $24.00
- Transportation and logistics, 14 roles: $22.00 to $31.00, median band $24.00 to $27.00
- Forklift, 4 roles: $21.00 to $23.00
- Manufacturing and food packaging, 3 roles: $19.00 to $27.00
- Commercial cleaning, 3 roles: $18.00 to $20.00
The pattern is consistent and worth reading carefully if you are planning a next step. General labour sits at or just above minimum wage. Anything that requires a ticket, a licence or equipment experience pays several dollars more per hour for work that is often physically easier.
What it pays by city
Same postings, grouped by where the work is:
- Mississauga, 28 roles: $17.95 to $36.00, median band $22.00 to $25.00
- Markham, 6 roles: $17.95 to $24.00, median band $19.00 to $20.00
- Brampton, 4 roles: $19.00 to $23.00, median band $21.00 to $23.00
- Toronto, 3 roles: $17.95 to $25.00
- Edmonton, 3 roles: $18.00 to $25.00, median band $22.00 to $25.00
- Calgary, 3 roles: $17.00 to $20.00, median band $18.00 to $20.00
- Montreal, 9 roles: $16.60 to $29.00, median band $21.00 to $24.00
Note what Edmonton is doing. Alberta has the lowest legal minimum in the country at $15.00, yet our Edmonton roles sit in a $22.00 to $25.00 median band, well clear of it. In a market with real demand for industrial labour, the legal minimum stops being the reference point.
How this compares nationally
Statistics Canada reported an average hourly wage of $37.02 in August 2026, up 2.0 percent year over year, the slowest pace of wage growth since November 2017. That average covers every occupation in the country, including professional and managerial work, so it sits well above what hourly industrial roles pay. It is useful as a direction, not as a benchmark: wage growth has slowed, which means comparing an offer against last year’s expectations is more reliable than assuming pay has kept climbing.
What actually moves your rate
Our own numbers show the levers clearly. A forklift ticket moves general labour work from a median band of $17.95 to $19.95 into $21.00 to $23.00. A DZ or AZ licence moves it into the $22.00 to $31.00 transportation band. Night and weekend shifts, dangerous goods handling and lead-hand responsibility all add on top of that.
If you are working general labour now and want a raise, the fastest route in this market is certification rather than a job change. The gap between uncertified and certified work is three to five dollars an hour, and it is the same work environment.
Finding these roles
Every rate above comes from a posting that was live when this was written. You can see the current ones, with the pay range on each, on our job board. Employers planning wage budgets against these rates can talk to us about staffing here.
Rates quoted are from We Staff Canada job postings active on 24 September 2026 and change as roles are filled and added. Minimum wage figures are from provincial government sources and are current as at that date. This article is general information only and is not legal or financial advice.
Sources
- Government of Ontario, Your guide to the Employment Standards Act: Minimum wage
- Gouvernement du Québec, Minimum wage in Québec
- Government of Alberta, Employment standards rules: Minimum wage
- Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, August 2026