The government of Alberta has amended its labour code to ensure Western Hockey League (WHL) teams in the province won't have to pay its players minimum wage. According to Rick Westhead of TSN, the amendment gives WHL teams an exemption from employment legislation, something a government spokesperson told him would "remove uncertainty for major junior hockey team owners."
The WHL, along with a couple of other major junior leagues in Canada, has been facing lawsuits from past and current players for the last five years who believe they should have gotten at least minimum wage (currently $15 per hour in Alberta) for the amount of work they put in to playing. According to an article by TSN back in September, the players "have argued the teams are for-profit businesses –some of which make millions of dollars in annual profits – and that players should enjoy protection under employment rights legislation." The recent move by the Alberta government removes that protection under employment rights for players with Alberta-based WHL teams.
The lawsuit alleges players have been paid less than the minimum wage, as little as $35 per week for between 40 to 65 hours of work. The leagues--the WHL included--say players are amateur student athletes and that they already have access to valuable educational scholarships.
TSN reported in an article from 2016 that the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings generated a revenue of $6.6 million while netting a profit of $1.4 million. The Calgary Hitmen were reported to have earned $4.3 million while showing an overall loss of $387,333.
There are currently five teams in the WHL based in Alberta: Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and Red Deer.
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