CALGARY -- The federal government is providing an additional $317 million to top up wages of essential workers in Alberta.
"We are pleased that Alberta requested this additional funding to help those who have been on the front lines of the pandemic for over a year. Albertans deserve this financial support in recognition of their hard work and sacrifice," said Katherine Cuplinskas, press secretary to Chrystia Freeland, the deputy prime minister and minister of finance.
The money is part of $3 billion being made available by the federal government to top up the wages of essential workers.
Federal funding is determined by the amount requested by each province and territory, up to a maximum allocation.
So far, $2.56 billion has been delivered to provinces and territories through direct payments.
"It is up to each province and territory to determine which workers are eligible to receive a top-up and how much they receive," read a statement.
In December, the province was slammed by the Alberta division of the Canadian Union of Provincial Employees after it was revealed only a fraction of the money it was entitled to had been claimed.
In February, the joint federal-provincial Critical Worker Benefit was announced, which saw a one-time payment of $1,200 handed out, but some complained they were left off the list.
It is primarily meant to assist critical lower wage frontline workers, defined as earning less than $25 an hour. There are some exceptions for public sector employees.
