Overview
- Saskatchewan’s minimum wage rises to $15.35 on Oct. 1, moving Alberta’s unchanged $15 rate, set in 2018, to the bottom among provinces.
- Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi called for an increase linked to inflation and said a specific target should follow consultations with workers and businesses.
- Jobs Minister Joseph Schow defended holding the line, noting most minimum-wage earners are 24 or younger and warning against pressures that could raise business costs.
- Economist Joseph Marchand said Alberta is no longer an outlier and that reintroducing automatic indexation would mean only modest annual bumps with inflation near 2%.
- The 2024 Alberta Minimum Wage Profile reports 5.2% of employees earn the minimum, 56.6% are aged 15–24, 64% work part-time, and many are in retail, trade, and accommodation and food services.