By Geoff Smith (@smithco on Twitter)

Chamber wants halt to minimum wage increases

Mar 8, 2017 | 10:28 AM

LETHBRIDGE – The government is about halfway through its target of raising the minimum wage in Alberta by nearly 50 per cent. But the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce wants the increases to stop, at least for now.

At $12.20/hour, Alberta now has the highest minimum in the country. In a letter to the labour minister, the Chamber says the higher wage is resulting in fewer jobs, benefits, hours, and opportunities to advance. The plan is to raise the wage to $15 by 2018.

“We have unemployment close to eight and a half per cent in this province,” chamber president Harry Gross said in an interview. “We have high youth unemployment, and concern that the minimum wage increases are not going to help either the economy or help the youth unemployment situation.”

Gross said the increases should be studied to see if they’re having the intended effect, along with negative side-effects on businesses struggling in the current economy. In a letter to the labour minister, the Chamber says the higher wage is resulting in fewer jobs, benefits, hours, and opportunities to advance.

“Businesses want highly trained people. The more trained you are, the more we’re willing and able to pay. Minimum wages are meant to be more training jobs and starting jobs, that we can work together to encourage workers to generate more income for themselves.”

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He said it may make more sense to have a tiered minimum wage for different parts of the province, based on the cost of living.

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