| Re: Minimum wage hike still below poverty line, by Amy Steele, News, Feb. 17 - 23, 2005)
The premier’s announcement of an increase in minimum wage to $7 – bringing us from the lowest in Canada to the fourth highest – is a move to be celebrated. Many are asking questions about the effect this will have on businesses, workers, their families and our community.
Ms. Doyle (spokesperson for Human Resources and Employment) cites the fact that only one per cent of Albertans actually make minimum wage. While it is true that only about one per cent of Albertans (including Calgarians) earn minimum wage, raising the minimum wage will have a ripple effect on other low wages. According to Statistics Canada, in addition to the one per cent earning minimum wage, another 15 per cent of Calgarians earn between $5.90 and $9 an hour. An increase to minimum wage will have a positive effect on these wages as well.
Ms. Doyle also mentions that the minimum wage is only intended to be an "entry wage for people entering the work force." The frequently heard comment that the only minimum-wage earners are teenagers living at home with their parents is inaccurate. Statistics Canada reports that of the 82,000 employed Calgarians earning less than $9 an hour, less than half are under the age of 25. This leaves over 41,000 Calgarians over the age of 25 who are trying to support themselves – and perhaps one or more dependants – on low wages. As for young Calgarians, are they less deserving of a decent wage? Alberta’s youth are the future of this province and we should support them through adequately paid employment as they gain independence.
People who work for a living should not have to live in poverty. They should earn a decent wage that does not force them to take on two or three jobs to make ends meet, or turn to social service agencies for assistance. No Albertan should have to make tough choices like paying the rent or putting food on the table. Though $7 is certainly not a living wage, it is a positive step forward for this province and will go some way towards improving the lives of the working poor.
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