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Small business owner Jill Johnson has slashed her own salary by 40 per cent in recent months with the sluggish economy and rising costs challenging her two pubs.

Now, she’s taking on more waitressing shifts and hunting for other ways to squeeze expenses as Alberta’s minimum wage is set to climb next month, on its way to $15 an hour.

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“My personal salary went from $75,000 a year to $45,000 … and I’m a single mom with three kids,” said the co-owner of Atlantic Trap and Gill, who started the company with her sister almost 18 years ago.

“I spend so much time in my business being a waitress that I don’t spend enough time doing things that a business owner should do, like marketing.”

On Tuesday, the provincial government announced it passed an order in council to increase the minimum wage to $12.20 an hour next month. Alberta’s lower tier minimum wage for liquor servers is also being eliminated.

Alberta’s minimum wage will rise by $1.40 an hour to $13.60 next year, before reaching $15 in October 2018. It fulfils a campaign promise made by NDP Leader Rachel Notley in last year’s provincial election.