Minimum wage in Northwest Territories
The general hourly rate, when it started, what the official page says comes next, and where to read it.
General minimum wage
$17.20 per hour
In effect since September 1, 2026. The Government's July 31, 2026 news release gives the date; the minimum wage page itself says only that the rate is adjusted on September 1 each year.
Source: Government of the Northwest Territories: Minimum wage official. Last checked October 28, 2026.
Next change
The page says the rate is adjusted on September 1 every year by a formula (Yellowknife CPI and the NWT average hourly wage), and stays the same if the formula would lower it. The news release says further public engagement will inform decisions about 2027. No 2027 amount is announced.
ece.gov.nt.ca official
Official sources
- Government of the Northwest Territories: Minimum wage
- Government of the Northwest Territories news release, July 31, 2026: NWT minimum wage set to increase Sept 1, 2026
Cross-check: the Government of Canada’s table of general minimum wage rates lists $17.20 from September 1, 2026. It is a federal page, not Northwest Territories’s own, so we keep the page above as the main source. minwage-salairemin.service.canada.ca official
General information only, not legal advice. If your pay is in question, the official page and the labour standards office of Northwest Territories govern. Rates can change: see how we check.