Alberta continues to have the country’s lowest minimum wage, and the gap has widened as other governments adjust rates in response to rising prices. All provinces and territories except Alberta are increasing their minimum wages this year due to the rising cost of living. That includes Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, which have all increased theirs between 24 and 40 cents. Alberta had the highest minimum wage in the country when it raised it to $15 an hour in 2018, but that has not changed in eight years. Nunavut now has the highest minimum wage at $20.17 an hour. Alberta’s government said in a statement to CTV that 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 people in Alberta work at minimum wage, slightly higher than the national average, but even those earning more are struggling. “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,” said Michelle James with Vibrant Communities Calgary. Demand for the Calgary Food Bank has nearly tripled over the past few years. “Folks making between $15 and $20 an hour is where we are seeing people coming to the Calgary Food Bank,” said Melissa From with the Calgary Food Bank. “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. Several students pursuing higher-paying careers say they are only able to do so with support from family. “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,” said Ashley Benoit, a Mount Royal University student who works as a server while studying massage therapy. Daniel Reh worked at a greenhouse this summer but is now back to studying full time at MRU. “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.” But it’s not just young people feeling the pressure of low wages amid rising costs. “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,” said Reh. “About 43 per cent of minimum wage earners in Alberta are over the age of 24,” said James. Vibrant Communities Calgary is urging the province to increase the minimum wage, saying it would benefit more than just those earning the least. “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,” said James. The organization says 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. Along with groups like Vibrant Communities Calgary calling for higher wages, there are also calls for governments to find ways to reduce costs.
