Alberta not planning to increase minimum wage

The Alberta government has no plans to jack the province’s minimum wage, despite reports concluding $15 an hour is no longer enough.

The Alberta Living Wage Network now pegs that number at $20.85 in Edmonton and $24.45 in Calgary.

It defines a living wage as one that not only allows for survival but ensures workers can live in dignity and participate in the community.

“Our priority is to ensure that Alberta workers can enter the workforce, gain the experience, so that they can move up in education, skills, and earnings. And by the way, the average minimum wage earner has been at their job for one year or less,” said Matt Jones, Alberta Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade.

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The costs of paying a living wage

As the CFIB warns of consequences if provinces enact basic livable wages, a company already paying workers more says there are positives.

But the NDP says a minimum wage bump must be considered, as well as tying future increases to inflation.

“People who go to work every day, work hard every day, deserve to live a life without economic fear. It’s as simple as that and this government has always shown contempt for the average working Albertan,” said Naheed Nenshi, Alberta NDP leader.

Alberta’s minimum wage has been $15 an hour since 2018 – when the NDP government increased it gradually from $11.20.

Alberta and Saskatchewan are tied for the lowest minimum wages in Canada, while Ontario and B.C. are now both above $17 an hour.