By the Parkland Institute
The pledge to raise the Alberta provincial minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2018 was an important plank in the Alberta New Democratic Party’s 2015 election platform, and within its first month in power the newly elected NDP government announced public consultations on its plan to raise the minimum wage.
Following the consultations, the government moved forward by increasing the general minimum wage from $10.20 to $11.20 per hour on October 1, 2015 and began to phase out the two-tier lower minimum wage for liquor servers, a move that will be completed this coming October 1st.
The government announced last month that it will again be consulting with business, labour, and public interest organizations about the second staged increase of the minimum wage. In the announcement, Alberta’s Minister of Labour Christina Gray stated, “We’re committed to bringing Alberta’s general minimum wage up to $15 per hour to give lower-income Albertans the ability to support their families. We want to take the time to listen to the people directly involved and make sure we get this right.”
By the Parkland Institute
The Parkland Institute has compiled a list of 10 key facts about the minimum wage.
