The Alberta hike in minimum wage st to take place starting on October 1 of this year has seen mixed reactions from local residents and businesses alike. Brian Jean, the Wildrose Leader, has made accusations that the NDP did not consult with those in the business community in Alberta before making plans to increase the minimum wage. Rose explained “There has been zero economic analysis of the impact of the dramatic increase to the minimum wage. We need to put on the brakes, listen to chambers, small businesses and job creators to make sure we understand the full impact of this planned 50 per cent increase.” Wood Buffalo Brewing Co. general manager Steve Sachse explained that the wage increase would be a good thing for workers but that it would have a cost for businesses, saying “If it increases, the reality is our products will increase in price, too.”

Not everyone is critical of the Alberta hike in minimum wage though, some are in favor of the planned increase. Podollan Pub server 22 year old Ashley Cunningham said “When I used to be a night-time server, my paycheques were nothing to me. I only depended on my tips. Now I work full-time days. I do rely on my paycheques a little more, so making $9.20 is a little rough. I would feel it would be way better if it was higher.” University of Calgary economics professor Herbert Emery explained “If our interest is in actually helping people who have low income, we can do a lot more for them if we just follow the example of what we’ve done for seniors and other groups, which is basically to give them an income floor that they can work on top of. Because if we’re going to put … Albertans through all this pain of a labour market distortion, we might as well think of an instrument that might be effective in eradicating poverty, since we’re committed to making the expense anyways.”