Lever of Change

Employment

Income from employment that is sufficient to cover the cost of living in a given region is not only vital to reducing poverty but is a necessary component to a resilient city and economy. People need more than the bare minimum, this includes enough income to cover bank fees, education and training, internet costs, and the ability to save for an unexpected event. Other principles identified by Living Wage Canada include a wage that enables working families to have sufficient income to cover reasonable costs, promote social inclusion, and support healthy child development.

The 2023 living wage is $23.70 per hour. Learn more about living wages and how the 2023 rate was calculated.

Minimum wages are legislated by the provincial government and are set so that no employer may pay below the legal minimum. It currently sits at $15 per hour for most employees and $13 per hour for people under the age of 18 and hasn’t gone up since 2018. Alberta is the only province that didn’t increase its minimum wage in 2022, and is one of four provinces that doesn’t periodically adjust minimum wage based on the cost of living.

About 200,000 Albertans are on minimum wage in our province and in Calgary, the living wage is almost 50% higher than the minimum wage.

VCC is a member of the Alberta Living Wage Network which is made up of community organizations and municipalities with the goal of advancing a coordinated living wage movement in Alberta. The network assists communities in their annual living wage calculation and provides certification to qualifying living wage employers.

Each lever of change links to one or more of the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Employment links to #2 and #7.