Registered nurse pay in Canada in November 2026, from 875 hourly job ads

Vancouver had 246 hourly rates to compare. Calgary had 23. The Calgary and Halifax samples landed on the same median, although they covered different employers and jobs.

Vancouver and Toronto had similar numbers of ads but different levels of pay disclosure. About three in ten Vancouver ads contributed a comparable hourly minimum, against one in ten Toronto ads. Halifax had the highest share here, yet its median rests on just 26 ads. A city can disclose pay more often and still have a small sample.

Four city samples landed at $48. That coincidence is a reason to look at the employers and units behind the figure before using it in a negotiation. One employer can post several positions on the same wage grid. The median gives each advertisement a place in the line, so an employer recruiting across multiple units can influence the result.

A Trillium Health Partners posting for its cardiac surgery intensive care unit at Mississauga Hospital advertised $41.15 to $58.98 per hour. Its part-time schedule called for 12-hour shifts across days, nights and weekends. It also asked applicants to have started a recognized critical care certificate program. That range belongs to a particular classification in a particular unit; the top rate alone gives an incomplete picture of the offer. Read the original listing on MovoJobs.

For a nurse deciding between this kind of offer and a casual line, three questions are worth taking to the recruiter. Which step would my previous service qualify for? How many shifts are scheduled in a rotation? Which premiums apply to evenings, weekends or calls? A clear answer to the second question can outweigh a small difference in the first.

Job Bank listed a national median of $43.27 per hour for registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses, using 2023–24 Labour Force Survey data. It published that benchmark in November 2025. Movo’s $41.42 figure measures starting amounts employers supplied in a November 2026 sample of RN ads. Comparing the numbers as a pay rise or cut would mix different jobs, dates and measures. Job Bank’s hourly wage table.

A nurse comparing a hospital posting with a casual agency assignment needs more than the larger hourly number. Check the classification, whether the job has guaranteed hours, where on the pay scale prior experience counts, and whether evenings or weekends carry a premium. The table uses the advertised minimum. A premium or later step only applies when the employer’s terms say so.

The Canadian search covered 8,738 listings from 414 employer profiles. Of those listings, 901 supplied employer pay with a recognized currency and period. Annual and weekly offers stay in their own groups. A full-time salary does not tell us an hourly rate without the contracted hours.