Alberta doesn't plan to increase minimum wage as 6 provinces raise theirs
Six provinces raised their minimum wage this weekend but Alberta has no plans to adjust its base pay of $15 per hour introduced in 2018.
Ontario increased its minimum wage to $16.55; Manitoba to $15.30; Nova Scotia, P.E.I and Newfoundland and Labrador to $15; and Saskatchewan to $14.
The president of the Alberta Federation of Labour wants the provincial government to increase the minimum wage to keep up with inflation.
"If the minimum wage in Alberta had been adjusted to inflation over the past five years it would be worth $17.70 an hour," Gil McGowan told CTV News Edmonton. "That’s a big difference from what people are earning right now.
"For food, for groceries, even at the pump. Everything is up dramatically and when wages don’t keep up with inflation, that’s essentially a wage cut."
A spokesperson for the ministry of jobs and trade told CTV News Edmonton the province does not have plans to change the minimum wage.
"Maintaining the current minimum wage gives employers and employees predictability and stability during a time of economic growth and labour shortages," a statement read.
Yukon has the highest minimum wage in Canada at $16.77, while Saskatchewan has the lowest.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach and CTVNews.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Six ballots, no winner: Assembly of First Nations election spills over to Thursday
Assembly of First Nations organizers sent delegates home without a new national chief late Wednesday after six rounds of balloting failed to produce a winner with enough votes to clear the 60 per cent threshold necessary for victory.
Sask. Second World War veteran honoured with France's highest order of distinction
Jim Spenst, 97, is the most recent Canadian to officially receive France's highest order of distinction: the insignia of Knight of the French National Order of the Legion of Honour.
Las Vegas shooting suspect was a professor who recently applied for a job at UNLV, AP source says
The man suspected of fatally shooting three people and wounding another at a Las Vegas university Wednesday was a professor who unsuccessfully sought a job at the school, a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press.
PM pans Poilievre for 'pulling stunts' by threatening to delay MPs' holidays with House tactics
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is threatening to delay MPs' holidays by throwing up thousands of procedural motions seeking to block Liberal legislation until Prime Minister Justin Trudeau backs off his carbon tax. It's a move Government House Leader Karina Gould was quick to condemn, warning the Official Opposition leader's 'temper tantrum' tactics will impact Canadians.
'I'm so broken': Grieving family speaks out after B.C. cancer patient awaiting treatment chooses MAID
A devastated family says long waits for cancer treatment led a beloved father and grandfather to choose medically assisted death 13 days ago.
'I'm never going to be satisfied': Ontario 'crypto king' lands in Australia as associate flees to Dubai
Ontario’s self-described ‘crypto king’ just landed in Australia, the latest destination in a months-long travel spree he’s prolifically posted about on social media, despite ongoing bankruptcy proceedings tied to the more than $40 million scheme he allegedly operated.
Renowned scholar, with ties to Waterloo, Ont. university, reportedly killed with his family in Gaza
Sofyan Taya, a former guest scholar at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike near Gaza City. His friend and former colleague called him a brilliant and gentle soul.
One of the dwarf planets in our solar system is 'squishy' like 'soft cheese,' researchers say
A new study investigating the properties of one of the dwarf planets in our solar system has found that it might have a 'squishy' composition, closer to a 'soft cheese' than a hard ball of rock.
opinion Don Martin: Greg Fergus risks becoming the shortest serving Speaker in our history
House Speaker Greg Fergus could face a parliamentary committee inquisition where his fate might hang on a few supportive NDP votes. But political columnist Don Martin says this NDP support might be shaky, given how one possible replacement is herself a New Democrat.