Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
Effective Tuesday, Alberta is set to be tied for the lowest minimum wage in the country.
Ontario and Saskatchewan will both increase their minimum wage on Tuesday. Ontario’s will be among the highest in the country at $17.20 an hour. Saskatchewan, which previously had the lowest minimum wage in Canada, will increase its minimum wage to $15, tying it with Alberta for the lowest in the country.
Alberta has not seen an increase to its minimum wage since October 1, 2018. At the time, it was the highest in Canada.
“Fifteen dollars doesn’t go as far as it used to in 2018,” said Bradley Lafortune with Public Interest Alberta.
The non-profit organization focuses on education and advocacy around topics of public interest in the province. Lafortune would like to see the minimum wage increased to a living wage.
“What we would like to see is a minimum wage of $25, which would basically be a living wage across the province except in a couple of places as far north in Fort McMurray or tourist towns like Canmore, Banff and Jasper ,” Lafortune said.
“A living wage is very important in Alberta. Many people are trying to make ends meet on a minimum wage job and the price of everything is going up, be it groceries, utilities, mortgage, rent – everything. “
The president of the Alberta Federation of Labor said he would like to see a minimum wage increase that adjusts for inflation – somewhere in the $19-an-hour range.
“Every Albertan understands that we have been living through what, in many ways, has been an unprecedented increase in the cost of living,” said Gil McGowan. “But over that period of six years, we have not seen an increase in the minimum wage.
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“What we really need right now is a minimum wage that keeps pace with inflation, which recognizes that the cost of living has gone up.”
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said small businesses need to be considered before increasing the minimum wage.
“The organization is not opposed to minimum wage increases, as long as the increase is predictable, stable and sustainable,” said Bradlee Whidden, a Western Canadian policy analyst with the CFIB.
“That means linking the minimum wage benchmark to something tangible like a median wage or labor productivity.”
Whidden said if minimum wage changes are not predictable, they can happen too quickly for business owners and run them into the ground.
“The last time the minimum wage was increased in Alberta, it caused about half to raise their prices, according to our survey data, and about 30 percent to cut the labor they have,” he said.
“Many of them cannot afford large increases in their labor costs.”
Alberta’s minister of jobs, economy and trade said in a statement that the minimum wage is an important issue for the government, but added that “significant changes to the minimum wage could negatively impact small businesses, youth and job-seeking Albertans first or part-time. employment.”
“Furthermore, these changes also affect operational costs, which ultimately flow through to every Albert,” said Matt Jones.
“Albertans keep more of what they earn, as our province has the lowest provincial income tax rates, the highest personal income tax exemption levels and no provincial sales tax.”
Jones said the province will “continue to monitor the issue closely and evaluate the appropriateness of the current calibration to best serve Albertans.”
Lafortune believes that small businesses can be supported through tax credits, grants and job training programs that see cost sharing between the government and the employer when it comes to paying workers’ wages. He believes that raising the minimum wage can benefit small businesses.
“People who make minimum wage, they spend that money in the local economy. So they’re going to spend money in the small businesses and the grocery stores, and it stays in Alberta as well. So it’s really good for small businesses to make sure people have enough money to put food on the table, pay their bills and keep a roof over their head,” he said.
“We cannot afford not to raise the minimum wage. Now is the time to pick it up and we don’t need to be in last place.”
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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