Smith defends not increasing Alberta’s minimum wage, set to be lowest in Canada
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CALGARY – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is defending her province’s minimum wage as it is once again set to become the lowest in Canada.
Minimum wage hikes will kick in Wednesday in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, leaving Alberta the lowest at $15 an hour.
But Smith says Alberta has offsetting benefits, such as no provincial sales tax, and a boost in minimum wage would not help the province deal with a high youth unemployment rate.
Alberta’s current rate of $15 an hour was set in 2018 by then-premier Rachel Notley’s NDP government, making it, at the time, the highest minimum wage in Canada.
But Alberta has not adjusted the rate since, while other provinces have boosted theirs.
A separate minimum wage for students under 18 in Alberta has been set at $13 an hour since 2019.
Alberta’s Opposition NDP has called on Smith’s United Conservative Party government to boost the wage and index it to inflation.
Smith told a news conference in Calgary the best path forward is the incentive programs currently being rolled out for employers to get more young people working.
“We’re going to see if we can start seeing those numbers go down and then we can have further conversations,” Smith said Tuesday.
“But I don’t want to put any more barriers in place to employers hiring young people.”
The other provinces hiking their wages Wednesday have tied their increases to Canada’s steadily growing consumer price index, which is an indicator of inflation.
As of Wednesday, Ontario’s minimum wage will be $17.60 per hour, Prince Edward Island’s is $16.50 an hour, Nova Scotia’s is $16.50 per hour, Manitoba’s is $16 per hour and Saskatchewan’s is $15.35 an hour.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2025.