Alberta's living wage all over the map in 2026

The 2026 living wage for Alberta is in and it varies by community. The calculation is an hourly wage. Its goal is to show the income needed to meet the cost of living. It includes food, clothing, housing and child care all broken down into 20 different communities. It's really important that people's overall and holistic well-being is factored in when we're talking about what you need to make every day or every hour at your employment. This year, Calgary's living wage increased to $26.90 an hour. That's almost as much as Toronto's wage of $27.60. Edmonton went up to $22.65, Red Deer to $22.35, and Lethbridge dropped to $21.45. The group behind the living wage says more than one community saw a drop. And that is not necessarily representative of the fact that The cost of living has gone down, but that for some households and some communities, government benefits have offset those increased costs. Van Dyke says that includes things like flat-fee childcare and the federal grocery benefit that replaced GST rebates. Brooks saw the largest living wage decrease, dropping $1.40 in the past year, while St. Albert had the biggest jump of $1.60. This as Alberta's minimum wage remains $15 an hour for people over 18, something Van Dyke says the group does not take a position on. But we would like to point out that in other provinces, they have indexed their minimum wage increases to inflation. In Calgary, one group that supports parents and pregnant people argues paying workers a living wage is critical. And so people are reacting to the affordability crisis. There's an increase in stress for families. And so we want to be part of the layering the good. Of what we can do as communities and businesses to help make this a livable city. The Alberta Living Wage Network releases its calculation each November. Chelsea Mutter, CBC News, Calgary.