So it’s a bit odd that the province’s NDP government this week confirmed plans to institute a $15 minimum wage by 2018. RelatedThe $15 minimum has been popularized by progressives in the U.S. as a response to dismal wages for food workers in New York. When calculated as a fraction of a region’s average wage, a particular minimum wage could maximize spending and minimize job losses. Only about 2 per cent of Albertans — 59,000 — earn the minimum wage. That is not to say that the minimum wage hike will necessarily be catastrophic; it’s just that it’s difficult to imagine how it’s going to help much, either.

Source: National Post September 14, 2016 21:29 UTC