Ontario will raisethe minimum wage to $10.25 on March 31, 2010.  This will be the seventh ncrease since 2004. The province of Ontario started implementing annual increases early in 2003, raising the general minimum wage from $6.85 in 2004 to $9.50 in 2009. Phasing in these increases balances the needs of hard working families with the needs of small businesses that create jobs. Increasing the minimum wage is part of Breaking the Cycle: Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy, which will reduce the number of children living in poverty by 25 per cent over five years - lifting 90,000 kids out of poverty - by boosting benefits for low-income families and enhancing publicly funded education.