At Clean Club Calgary, we believe that how we treat our team matters just as much as the quality of the cleaning we provide. That belief is why we participate in the Fair Living Wage program and why fair wages are a core part of who we are as a Calgary cleaning company.
The cleaning industry is physically demanding, detail‑oriented work that requires consistency, trust, and reliability. Yet across Canada, industry turnover often ranges from 150% to 250% per year. That means many cleaning companies replace their entire workforce, sometimes more than once every single year.
At Clean Club Calgary, our goal is to keep turnover below 100%, which, while still high by traditional standards, represents a meaningful improvement in an industry facing constant churn. In a world where people have many job opportunities, we believe employers must be their very best to attract and retain dedicated, reliable employees.
Paying fair living wages is one of the most important ways we do that.
Minimum Wage in Calgary vs. Fair Living Wage: What’s the Difference?
In Alberta, the minimum wage is $15.00 per hour. While minimum wage defines the legal minimum an employer can pay, it does not reflect the actual cost of living in Calgary today.
A fair living wage goes further.
According to the Alberta Living Wage Network, a living wage is the hourly rate that allows a worker to meet their basic needs and live with dignity in their community. This includes the real cost of:
- Housing
- Food and groceries
- Transportation
- Childcare
- Clothing and personal necessities
- Modest savings for emergencies
Living wage rates are calculated annually using local data, meaning they reflect actual Calgary costs, not provincial averages.
Learn more at the Alberta Living Wage Network.
Calgary’s Living Wage: $26.50 per Hour
In late 2025, Vibrant Communities Calgary and the Alberta Living Wage Network announced that Calgary’s living wage rose to $26.50 per hour.
This figure represents what a full‑time worker needs to earn to afford a modest, stable life in Calgary, covering essentials like housing, transportation, food, and childcare. The increase reflects rising costs in many of these areas, even as housing pressures begin to stabilize.
Local media, including the Calgary Herald, reported on this significant jump, highlighting how the gap between minimum wage and the cost of living continues to grow for many Calgarians:
Today, the difference between Alberta’s $15/hour minimum wage and Calgary’s $26.50/hour living wage is more than $11 per hour. This gap that can determine whether someone is constantly stressed about bills or able to plan for the future.
A Question Worth Asking: How Much Would You Want to Be Paid?
We often ask a simple but important question:
How much would you want to be paid if you were doing the cleaning?
Cleaning is not easy work.
It is physical, repetitive, and demanding, often done Monday through Friday, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. It requires lifting, bending, attention to detail, and caring for other people’s homes and workplaces with professionalism and pride.
This is skilled labour. It is essential work. And it deserves fair compensation.
A fair living wage recognizes not only hours worked, but the effort, reliability, and care required to do the job well day after day.
Why Fair Wages Matter to Our Team and Our Clients
Paying fair living wages has a direct impact on every part of our business:
- Lower employee turnover, leading to greater consistency
- Higher team morale and engagement
- Better quality and more reliable cleaning services
- Stronger trust between clients and staff
- A healthier, more sustainable workplace culture
When people earn enough to cover their basic needs without constant financial stress, they are more focused, more present, and more able to take pride in their work. That benefits our team and it benefits every client we serve.
Clean Club Calgary’s Commitment to Fair Living Wages
Clean Club Calgary is proud to be part of a growing group of Calgary employers committed to fair living wages. We see this not as a cost, but as an investment in long‑term stability, quality service, and ethical business practices.
Profitability matters. Sustainability matters. But long‑term success depends on how we treat the people who make our work possible.
Choosing to pay fair living wages reflects our belief that:
- People deserve dignity at work
- Ethical employment leads to better service
- Strong teams build strong businesses
To learn more about living wage calculations in Alberta, visit the Alberta Living Wage Network. For local context, you can also read coverage from the Calgary Herald on the rising cost of living and what it means for workers and employers in our city.