The Okotoks & District Chamber of Commerce hosted its monthly luncheon Friday on the subject on the new minimum wage increase and how it effects local businesses.

Guest speakers at the luncheon included three Wildrose MLAs including Derek Fildebrandt of Strathmore-Brooks, the party's shadow minister of finance Grant Hunter of Cardston-Taber-Warner and shadow minister for jobs along with Highwood MLA Wayne Anderson.

Anderson says despite the $15 an hour issue the Wildrose and the rest of the province debated back and fourth on, one thing remains ongoing and the issue is possibly hurting local businesses in the way they operate.

"They've tried to sell it on single parents but we know that's not the case," he says. "Working in conjunction with the chamber allows us and gives us the opportunity to get from grassroots folks what's the impact to you? This government didn't do any sort of cost benefit analysis, they didn't do any economic analysis and we're getting it from the people saving that this is not going to work for them and they have to do something different."

When referring to the minimum wage Anderson didn't shy away that employees are deserving of a higher wage but they must earn their way up to that mark.

"These are entry-level jobs allowing students and young individuals to get some work experience and move themselves forward. As they progress and they learn and they get better at their jobs then they are probably deserving of additional income. You work your way through it and that's how life is. You don't start at the top you start from the bottom and work your way up."

On highlight from the luncheon included all three speakers discussing the impact of the recent budget showing its impact and the $10.4 billion deficit it carries.

Okotoks Town Councillor Tanya Thorn spoke to Fildebrandt about the inability, no matter who is in power, that balancing budgets has been a weakness in provincial politics when all municipalities are regulated to stay in the black as to why they are exempt from that.

Following the presentation Anderson says the government needs to help municipalities better in allowing for not just balanced budgets, but budgets that benefit them without major sacrifices to operations.

"Every municipality needs a sustainable funding model that makes sense for them. If you're going to push legislation on them that states specifically that they can't run a deficit then you have to allow them to have the appropriate amount of income or capitalization that's based on a sustainable funding model. Not something that's used for political entities like the past government did but for actually helping them manage their business and their municipalities more effectively."