Alberta to boost minimum wage by 40 cent to $8.80/hr starting April 1.

Hathaway

By The Canadian Press

6 Q* l  ?* A; T7 C- ?EDMONTON - Alberta's lowest wage earners will get a bit of a break next month as the minimum wage increases by five per cent to $8.80 per hour.

' C- o; s/ G5 |- x/ R( H$ MThat rate is pretty much in the middle of the pack compared to other provinces, with Ontario leading the nation with a rate that will jump to $9.50 at the end of the month.

Alberta's 40-cent per hour boost on April 1 may not seem like a lot in a province where the average hourly wage is $23.90.

But most minimum wage earners are between 15 and 19-years-old and work in the hotel, retail and food service industries.
/ n( W2 d6 J+ I! h7 C1 O# C1 X. B
; J. o* j5 d' Q7 K+ E7 }& p0 x  M8 tEmployment Minister Hector Goudreau says while most people earn much more than the minimum wage, the province didn't want to forget about those in lower-income occupations.
; e7 A% ^& b% X3 A5 g
1 n. m8 x9 \# V$ [9 fAlberta uses a formula to set the minimum wage each year, with increases calculated each spring using the average weekly earnings for all sectors.

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