Alberta remains the only province to not raise the minimum wage this decade
Minimum wage earners may be feeling the pinch of the cost of living, and Alberta is the only jurisdiction in Canada that has not seen a minimum wage increase this decade.
While every other part of Canada saw a minimum wage increase in 2024 or is due for one this year, Alberta’s last increase was on October 1, 2018, when the minimum wage was set to $15 per hour.
The last update to Alberta’s minimum wage was in June 2019, when the province lowered it for students under 18 from $15 to $13 per hour, though with restrictions on overtime hours and school enrollment.
This is in contrast to everywhere else in Canada; earlier this year, the federal minimum wage was bumped up to $17.75 per hour, effective April 1, 2025.
According to the Retail Council of Canada, provinces and territories, including British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Ontario, and Yukon, will see or have already seen a minimum wage increase in 2025.
Every other province and territory, including neighbouring Saskatchewan, saw an increase in their minimum wage in 2024.
Retail Council of Canada
We asked the Alberta government if it had plans to raise the minimum wage.
“Alberta remains one of the most affordable provinces to call home with lower taxes and more money in the pockets of hardworking individuals and families. When it comes to minimum wage, our government is committed to balancing workforce needs while also ensuring small businesses are not forced to raise costs or be unable to pay their employees,” Hunter Baril, press secretary for the Ministry of Jobs, Economy, Trade, and Immigration, told Daily Hive in an email.
The most recent assessment of the province’s minimum wage came from an expert panel in March 2023. Following the panel’s conclusion, Brian Jean, minister of jobs, economy, and trade, stated at the time that Alberta had no plans to raise the minimum wage.
With files from Allison Stephen