Editor: Re: Minimum wage increases.
I do not run a hotel or a restaurant in Banff, but I am confused with the conflicting stories coming from the Banff & Lake Louise Hospitality Association.
This week it was reported that it will lobby the Alberta Government to reverse its position on increasing minimum wage in Alberta. Three weeks ago, this same association was quoted as saying “For every Canadian we were able to hire, there was one position that remained advertised and unfilled.”
Do Banff and Canmore businesses that are lamenting the lack of staff not see a correlation between low wages and their inability to recruit staff? At a time when Alberta is posting record high unemployment rates, there is a reason people are not taking the jobs.
Even with the proposed incremental increases to $15 per hour, that works out to $2,400 per month. With a cheap, one bedroom basement suite renting for $1,000 or more, the math is not that difficult.
CCd to Cam Westhead MLA, Lori Sigurdson Labour Minister.
Marc Ledwidge,
Banff
