One company owes $82,911 in unpaid wages, vacation pay
In the first four months of 2025, employers in Alberta already owe workers more than $800,000 — and they have yet to pay, according to records from the provincial government.
Specifically, these employers are said to owe $810,975.60 due to unpaid wages, overtime, vacation pay, general holiday pay and termination pay combined.
The table below includes information regarding Alberta employers that currently have Employment Standards judgments registered against them, but there may be new businesses using the same or similar names that have no connection to the employer with the judgment, according to the government.
Among the biggest judgments in 2025 are:
|
Amount |
Employer |
Reason for judgment |
|
$82,911.90 |
VEOLIA WATER TECHNOLOGIES & SOLUTIONS CANADA |
Failure to pay wages and vacation pay |
|
$62,407.74 |
2128289 ALBERTA LTD. (INTERIORS WITH ELEGANCE) |
Failure to pay termination pay and wages |
|
$42,895.75 |
CAPSTONE ENGINEERING ACADEMY |
Failure to pay vacation pay, termination pay, and wages |
|
$24,937.55 |
EDCO AGGREGATES LTD. (EDCO AGGREGATES LTD.) |
Failure to pay vacation pay, general holiday pay, wages, and overtime |
|
$22,353.47 |
WADE'S HOUSE MOVING & HEAVY HAULING |
Failure to pay termination pay, vacation pay, wages, and overtime pay |
|
$21,464.38 |
ALTAVERO HAIRCARE (FIRST CHOICE HAIRCUTTERS) |
Failure to pay vacation pay, termination pay, and wages |
|
$19,738.03 |
2128289 ALBERTA (INTERIORS WITH ELEGANCE) |
Failure to pay vacation pay, general holiday pay, wages, and overtime |
|
$16,600.32 |
MEDIATION AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE CENTRE |
Failure to pay wages, vacation pay, general holiday pay |
|
$14,252.07 |
CAPSTONE ENGINEERING ACADEMY |
Failure to pay wages |
The cumulative value of unsatisfied Employment Standards judgments handed to Alberta employers has been increasing in recent years:
- $2,520,655.16 in 2024
- $1,865,357.18 in 2023
- $390,746.75 in 2022
The full list of Alberta employers with unsatisfied Employment Standards judgments is available here.
Previously, two employers and a company director in Ontario were fined a total of $86,000 for failing to pay wages to workers and subsequently disregarding a legal order to do so, according to the provincial government.
Penalties for unpaid wages
In Alberta, employers who fail to pay wages, overtime, or vacation pay as mandated by the Employment Standards Code may face several penalties:
- Administrative Penalties - Employers may receive a notice to comply. Continued non-compliance can lead to a notice of administrative penalty. These penalties are progressive and increase with repeated violations.
- Prosecution - Serious or repeated violations can result in prosecution under the Employment Standards Code. If a corporation commits an offence, every director or officer who authorized or participated in the offence is also considered guilty.
- Payment Orders - Employment Standards officers can issue orders requiring employers to pay owed amounts, including wages, overtime, and vacation pay. Failure to comply with these orders can lead to further enforcement actions.
“Any contravention or failure to comply may be prosecuted as an offence under the Code. Prosecution must take place within 2 years after the date on which the alleged offence occurred and would be reserved for only the most flagrant violations,” says the Alberta government.
“When a corporation commits an offence under the Code, every director or officer of the corporation who directed, authorized, assented to, permitted, participated in or acquiesced is guilty of the offence, whether or not the corporation has been prosecuted for or convicted of the offence.”
Recently, a fired worker made a claim for unpaid commissions of more than $600,000.
