Alberta Increases Minimum Wage to $15

By WinterE229 – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17782730

By Kelsey Basten

Published on October 9, 2018

Alberta, Canada, has increased their minimum wage to $15 from $13.60, effective Oct. 1, 2018. This increase is now the highest minimum wage in the country. Alberta has been gradually increasing its minimum wage rate since Oct. 2016.

There is a set of employees that are exempt from the $15 rate, and instead entitled to a minimum weekly or monthly amount. These employees must be paid at least 3 hours of pay at the minimum wage rate each time they go to work, even if they are sent home after less than 3 hours. The exception is if the employee is not able to work the 3 hours due to a personal circumstance.

The following employees are entitled to a weekly minimum wage of $598, an increase from $542:

• Direct selling salesperson
• Commission salesperson (other than a route salesperson) selling goods that will be delivered later
• Car, truck, recreational vehicle, or bus salesperson
• Manufactured home salesperson
• Farm machinery salesperson
• Heavy-duty construction equipment or road construction equipment salesperson
• Residential home salesperson employed by builder
• Land Agent
• Architect
• Accountant
• Chiropractor
• Dentist
• Engineer or other geoscientist
• Lawyer
• Optometrist
• Podiatrist
• Psychologist
• Veterinarian
• Agrologist
• Denturist
• Information systems professional

Also, domestic work employees living in their employer’s residence are now entitled to a monthly minimum wage of $2,848, an increase from $2,582.