It’s a good time for ideas in Alberta.

Cabinet ministers have taken to the road, touring communities throughout the province where they’ve been collecting thoughts, ideas and criticism from the public. And while they have yet to come to Jasper, and their pit stop in Hinton was by invitation only (safe crowd), it is at least a start for the government in power. There have been promises they will return to the three valley confluence.

Later this month, the upstart Wild Rose Alliance will hold their annual general meeting in Red Deer, where they will begin hammering out policy points. Some of the proposals bandied about are not new to the Right (giving all Albertans the right to bear arms, cut public funding for abortions, eliminate income tax) while others are at least new spins (province-wide vote for the premier, draft an Alberta constitution).

On the Left, David Swann is perpetually on the road attempting to drum up support for the Liberals, while the NDP is about to host a forum on political reform.

Ideas are being debated, which is commendable.

One proposal coming out of the mini ministers forum in Hinton last week is changes to the minimum wage. Minister of Employment and Immigration Thomas Lukaszuk floated the idea of changing the minimum wage for different parts of the population, as well as changing the rate for those who earn tips.

Alberta already pays one of the lowest minimum wage rates in the country, and there was a decision not to increase the rate this year. 

It appears the minister is looking closely at the British Columbia model, where the minimum wage is $8 an hour, but there is also a ‘first job/entry level’ minimum wage of only $6 an hour. Employees must accumulate 500 hours of work before they qualify for the top rate. Not to mention the rate is also considered an embarrassment and contributor to high levels of poverty (16 per cent of the population) in the province.

When the Minister asks if it’s fair for a single mother supporting her family and a teenager looking to earn beer money to make the same wage, one can see which way he is leaning. The comparison is unfair, and given the fact post-secondary costs continue to rise, most teenagers need the money too.

The minimum wage is designed to protect the most vulnerable members of the workforce. By attempting to peg the minimum wage for social standing, the government risks complicating a fairly simple system, and introducing a larger bureaucracy that would be required to sort out who should be making what.

Due to the high number of foreign workers in Jasper, it’s possible many of them would qualify for the ‘entry level’ salary. This doesn’t mean employers would pay that rate, but there would be the possibility. Would it be fair to ask an employee to live on $6 an hour in Jasper thousands of kilometres away from their family? I think not.

Jasper does have a high number of employees earning the minimum wage. Many of them are servers, but not all. When it comes to cost savings, those making the minimum wage should be the LAST ones considered for cuts. Living on $8.80 an hour in Alberta is not for the faint of heart. Ensuring there is just treatment for all earning the bare minimum is the correct thing to do.

A more equitable plan is ensuring the minimum wage is a living wage, supported with opportunities for (dignified) housing.