Alberta minimum wage remains lowest as other provinces raise rates

Alberta has not increased its $15 hourly minimum wage since 2018, while every other province and territory is raising its rate this year. Calgary advocates say rising costs are pushing low-wage and full-time workers to seek food bank support, and are calling for higher wages and lower costs.

Alberta’s minimum wage remains the lowest in Canada at $15 an hour, unchanged since 2018, as every other province and territory raises its rate this year amid the rising cost of living. Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan have increased their minimum wages by between 24 and 40 cents. Nunavut now has the highest rate, at $20.17 an hour.

Alberta had the country’s highest minimum wage when it raised the rate to $15 in 2018. The province has not adjusted it in eight years. In a statement to CTV News, the Alberta government said it “is focused on creating the right conditions for wage growth, without rashly forcing it on small businesses already dealing with economic uncertainty.”

The latest statistics show just over five per cent of Alberta workers earn minimum wage, slightly above the national average. But people earning more than the minimum are also struggling to keep up with costs, said Michelle James of Vibrant Communities Calgary. “Just based on CPI inflation alone, a household would have to earn just about $19 an hour to afford an equivalent basket of goods - things like food, transportation, internet and utility costs - that $15 an hour would have covered in 2018,” James said.

The Calgary Food Bank has seen demand nearly triple over the past few years. Melissa From of the food bank said people earning between $15 and $20 an hour are among those seeking help. “Folks making between $15 and $20 an hour is where we are seeing people coming to the Calgary Food Bank,” From said. “Almost 30 per cent of our clients report they have full-time work. These are folks who, for all intents and purposes, are doing everything right,” she added.

Some students pursuing careers with higher earning potential say family support is helping them continue their studies. Ashley Benoit, a Mount Royal University student who works as a server while studying massage therapy, said loans and minimum-wage work would not be enough. “I don’t know if I would be able to go to school and just work off minimum wage and my student loans. Student loans only go so far,” Benoit said.

Daniel Reh worked at a greenhouse over the summer and has returned to full-time studies at Mount Royal University. He said family support has allowed him to take more classes. “If I didn’t have my family with me, I probably wouldn’t be able to take as many classes right now and would be struggling a lot more.”

Reh said the impact of low wages extends beyond young workers. Some people he worked alongside at the greenhouse had previously been laid off from engineering and technology jobs and took the work to get by. “A lot of people I was working with had been laid off from engineering and tech jobs and turned to this as a way to survive. As something to live off, it’s not sustainable,” he said.

James said about 43 per cent of Alberta’s minimum-wage earners are over age 24. Vibrant Communities Calgary is urging the province to increase the minimum wage, arguing that higher pay could benefit the wider community. “Paying better wages allows people to participate in the local economy and lift themselves out of poverty, which can lead to downstream cost savings in areas like emergency response,” James said.

The organization estimates a person needs to earn more than $26 an hour to maintain a modest standard of living in Calgary in 2025. An updated estimate is expected in November. Alongside calls from Vibrant Communities Calgary and other groups for higher wages, there are also calls for governments to find ways to reduce costs.

Based on reporting by CTV News Calgary.