Alberta is home to Canada's cowboys, the beautiful rocky mountains, and Edmonton Oiler - and saviour of hockey, Connor McDavid. Those three things are already pretty stellar, and would make any land, incredibly proud. Now, there's another reason to be proud of the province. As of 2018, Alberta's minimum wage will be raised to $15 per hour. That's a nice little jump from the $11.25 average in the rest of the nation.
The move is a result of promises made by Premier Notley, and was confirmed today by Labour Minister, Christina Gray. The hike will begin to take affect soon, as the minimum wage will be increased to $12.20 next month. The amount will be increased yearly, until it eventually reaches $15 in 2018.
Small business owners are not as pleased, citing that an increased cost of employment, will hurt their operations. Still, many are praising the increase, pointing out that many Albertans are operating well below the average yearly income. Speaking in parliament, Notley reminded the house that "Alberta has the highest percentage of food bank use (for) working people". She also stated that "People who are working full-time jobs, are still not able to make ends meet". Hopefully, this new minimum wage will begin to combat this reality.
