Cross-country comparison of wages across Canada

Fort McMurray, Alberta, the home of Canada’s oil sands industry, has a population growing by the thousands each year. The boom, however, is threatened by a lack of available workers. It’s expected tens of thousands will be needed over the next decade.

Can companies cope with this growth? Watch a report from Global National‘s Francis Silvaggio, above.

And how much do some of these jobs pay? How does it compare with the rest of Canada? Below is a look at the average, overall hourly wage of some of the available jobs, and how they stack up to other parts of Canada.

OIL AND GAS (Well Drillers, Servicers, Testers and Related Workers)
Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta (includes Fort McMurray): $34.40
Edmonton: $39.29
Calgary: N/A
Alberta: $26.98
Vancouver: N/A
Regina: $32.00
Winnipeg: N/A
Toronto: N/A
Montreal: N/A
St. John’s: $32.00
Halifax: $29.70

CONSTRUCTION (Trades Helpers & Labourers)
Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta (includes Fort McMurray): $28.84
Edmonton: $22.60
Calgary: $21.28
Alberta: $21.55
Vancouver: $20.96
Regina: $16.50
Winnipeg: $14.50
Toronto: $18.00
Montreal: $15.00
St. John’s: $15.10
Halifax: $13.49

Get breaking National news

Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won't miss a trending story.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Get Started

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

ELEMENTARY/PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS
Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta (includes Fort McMurray): $35.71
Edmonton: $35.15
Calgary: $34.77
Alberta: $36.12
Vancouver: $33.00
Regina: $32.90
Winnipeg: $30.77
Toronto: $35.71
Montreal: $30.05
St. John’s: $34.49
Halifax: $28.72

HIGH SCHOOL/SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS
Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta (includes Fort McMurray): $34.62
Edmonton: $38.69
Calgary: $36.04
Alberta: $37.46
Vancouver: $33.85
Regina: $34.62
Winnipeg: $32.97
Toronto: $38.46
Montreal: $32.42
St. John’s: $31.73
Halifax: $26.67

FOOD & BEVERAGE SERVERS
Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta (includes Fort McMurray): $11.16
Edmonton: $9.45
Calgary: $9.92
Alberta: $9.75
Vancouver: $9.91
Regina: $11.00
Toronto: $11.50
Montreal: $16.00
St. John’s: $11.00
Halifax: $11.26

JANITORIAL
Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta (includes Fort McMurray): $18.96
Edmonton: $17.17
Calgary: $16.17
Alberta: $16.57
Vancouver: $15.95
Regina: $15.00
Toronto: $16.00
Montreal: $15.00
St. John’s: $15.10
Halifax: $13.49

JOURNALISTS
Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta (includes Fort McMurray): N/A
Edmonton: $33.33
Calgary: $26.92
Alberta: $25.27
Vancouver: $26.92
Regina: N/A
Winnipeg: N/A
Toronto: $26.00
Montreal: $26.99
St. John’s: $23.08
Halifax: $24.73

GROCERY CLERKS, STORE SHELF STOCKERS
Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta (includes Fort McMurray): $12.04
Edmonton: $11.98
Calgary: $12.31
Alberta: $12.21
Vancouver: $12.92
Regina: $10.75
Toronto: $10.75
Montreal: $10.00
St. John’s: $10.25
Halifax: $10.60

RETAIL SALESPERSONS
Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta (includes Fort McMurray): $16.38
Edmonton: $14.02
Calgary: $14.73
Alberta: $14.30
Vancouver: $14.58
Regina: $11.25
Toronto: $11.00
Montreal: $10.70
St. John’s: $10.75
Halifax: $10.24

LEGAL ASSISTANTS
Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta (includes Fort McMurray): $27.65
Edmonton: $26.88
Calgary: $29.55
Alberta: $27.61
Vancouver: $26.44
Regina: $22.00
Winnipeg: $19.78
Toronto: $26.44
Montreal: $22.66
St. John’s: $20.18
Halifax: $21.43

PHARMACISTS
Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta (includes Fort McMurray): $54.93
Edmonton: $49.78
Calgary: $49.64
Alberta: $50.16
Vancouver: N/A
Regina: N/A
Winnipeg: N/A
Toronto: N/A
Montreal: $39.37
St. John’s: $32.48
Halifax: $33.45

Sources: 2011 Alberta Wage and Salary data; 2009 BC Wage and Salary Survey; Government of Canada