Alberta can do better to protect students from poverty

Food Banks Canada recently issued Alberta a D- grade in its Poverty Report Card. They cited issues of housing affordability, higher than average food costs, and unemployment as some of the reasons Alberta received this grade. These issues, though, disproportionately affect students and youth. But can’t Alberta do something about these issues? Absolutely. If Alberta made changes to labour, housing, and transportation, the province would be investing in the future, rather than letting this old narrative of poor youth and students continue.

First of all, the minimum wage in Alberta is not enough for students to thrive on. The current minimum wage in Alberta is $15 per hour. However, the living wage in Edmonton in 2025 was $22.30 per hour. The necessary living wage for every community in Alberta is higher than the minimum wage. This is concerning because many students and youth depend on the minimum wage as their primary source of income. Some students can make up the extra costs by relying on their families. Other students, however, might sacrifice the quality of food they eat, the quality of their living situations, or how often they go outside. Increasing the minimum wage in Alberta prevents students from making these sacrifices and gives them more money to spend on themselves and their success. 

But what about students and youth who are unemployed? According to the 2026 Poverty Report Card, national youth unemployment reached 13.80 per cent this March, much larger than the general underemployment rate of six per cent. One reason for this is the increased usage of artificial intelligence (AI). And AI is increasingly taking more and more entry-level jobs. The loss of these jobs means that more students and youth are struggling to find work and gain valuable skills that can help them succeed in the future. Alberta can fix this issue by creating legislation that combats the usage of AI. By eliminating or even limiting the use of AI for entry level jobs students and youth can reclaim entry-level positions and grow their skills and capabilities for better futures.

It’s not just labour that Alberta can reform to benefit the potential of students and youth. Alberta can help students by creating rent policies and creating more affordable housing. On the Poverty Report Card, Alberta got a D grade for housing affordability, with 43 per cent of Albertans spending 30 per cent or more of their income on housing. Additionally, Alberta has no rent increase cap. A lot of students are renters. The absence of legislation for rent increase caps means that many students and renters are vulnerable to poverty. Alberta is making strides in affordable housing, spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the affordable housing program and other initiatives. Food Banks Canada proposes that Alberta can go even further by implementing permanent rent guidelines and dedicating oil and gas revenues to building affordable housing. 

Alberta can also strengthen public transportation to benefit students’ lives. Many students rely on public transportation in their day-to-day lives. A study conducted by Rosalie Joly Simard, who is currently a junior planner at Re:Public Urbanism, shows that people living in places with transit that are inadequate for their needs miss out on important opportunities or skip doing essential tasks to reduce spending on transit. People then have to deal with the costly burden of owning a car when public transit is unfeasible.

Strengthening public transportation by adding more routes or increasing bus services would make transit more convenient for the average person. A student could budget other necessities easier if public transport were either lowered or entirely free. This would leave more money to spend on quality food or possibly allow for more leisure and less working hours.

Perhaps the most significant change needed to be made is the image of the college student itself. The narrative of the broke college student feels like a rite of passage. But, no one should be settling for this way of life. Change means looking forward to new realities, and Alberta could invest in this new reality by improving labour, housing, and transit. These changes offer a firm foundation for students to grow and blossom to their fullest potential.