Alberta’s NDP says it would cut electricity bills, raise the minimum wage and remove the provincial gas tax as part of a new affordability plan aimed at reducing household costs."This government, with its endless culture wars and its endless distractions, and now $100 million on a separatist referendum that nobody wanted, is not focused really on what people are talking about, and Albertans deserve better," said Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi. The party released its Alberta Affordability Agenda on Thursday, saying Albertans are being squeezed by groceries, utilities, fuel prices and stagnant wages.“The cost of everyday living keeps getting more and more expensive, and you deserve a government that will actually help make life more affordable,” said the party.The plan includes a promised 10% cut to electricity bills, including distribution and transmission costs.The NDP said it would work with generators, transmission facility owners, retailers and regulators to stabilize Alberta’s electricity market and make monthly bills more predictable.The party said expanding renewable energy, energy storage and electricity interties with neighbouring jurisdictions would be part of the plan.Alberta’s NDP also pledged to raise the minimum wage to $18 per hour over three years and tie future increases to inflation.The party said it would eliminate the lower minimum wage for workers under 18 and introduce new laws to protect tips and gratuities for service workers.The NDP said Alberta currently has the lowest minimum wage in Canada.The affordability plan also targets grocery prices, with a promise to create an independent grocery watchdog to monitor food prices, review complaints and provide public reports."Too many families, people who work hard every day, have a twinge of fear when they get to the till at the grocery store," Nenshi said. "Too many moms tell me that they don't buy grapes for their kids anymore, they just can't afford to. It's not right. It's not fair, and we can do things to fix it."The party said it would abolish grocery store anti-competition covenants, which it said can prevent nearby competition from smaller shops such as bakeries and butchers..The NDP also promised shrinkflation laws requiring manufacturers to disclose reductions in product size or weight on labels for a set period of time.The party said it would ban junk and nuisance fees by requiring clear upfront pricing at checkout, with exceptions for taxes and shipping.It also promised one-click cancellation rules for subscription services.The NDP said it would help first-time homebuyers by expanding the Attainable Homes Calgary model province-wide through a new Attainable Homes Alberta program.The proposal would offer down payment assistance, below-market pricing and a resale model intended to keep homes affordable for future buyers.The party also pledged to remove Alberta’s 13-cent-per-litre provincial gas tax while prices remain high.The NDP said current legislation is too restrictive and prevented faster relief in early 2026 after the Iran war affected prices following the calculation period for the second quarter."This government says they'll do it, they say it's in legislation, but they've looked at every loophole and every single way to get out of it, and Albertans have been paying far more for gasoline for the last three months since the start of the war in Iran than they should be," Nenshi said. "This all adds up, and Albertans feel this pinch every single day."The party said removing the tax could save some households up to $300 per year.It also promised to enhance the Alberta Farm Fuel Benefit so producers are fully exempt from provincial fuel tax when buying dyed diesel.
