EDMONTON - Tomorrow, October 1, marks six years since the UCP froze the minimum wage. In response, Public Interest Alberta’s Executive Director Bradley Lafortune issued the following statement:

“The minimum wage has been frozen at 2018 levels for six years. That means the lowest-paid Albertans have had their spending power cut by a shocking 20.57% as multiple economic crises and record-breaking inflation hammered working people in our province. 

“There is not a single city in the province where a person could afford to live at a modest standard of living on $15 per hour. Rents are ballooning and the cost of groceries and utilities have skyrocketed. As corporate landlords and big grocery chains post record profits, life is getting harder and harder for everyone else. 

“The minimum wage is not just for teenagers to have some pocket money. There are working mothers, new Canadians, and seniors who rely on this wage to support themselves and their families. The UCP has completely failed these vulnerable people.  

“At one time, Alberta boasted the highest minimum wage in the country; now we are dead last. What happened? The answer is simple - a government that cares more about making life easier for corporations and their wealthy shareholders rather than easing the crushing affordability crisis plaguing working Albertans.”