In cities and towns like Airdrie and Cochrane, the mom and pop shops are the backbone to the community.

With the announcement that the minimum wage will officially rise to $15 by 2018, Linda Bruce, Airdrie Business Chamber President, is concerned what that will do to new and established small businesses.

"A lot of them start working out of their garage or their basement and move out eventually into a retail operation. A lot of them, especially when they are starting off, they're really trying to even pay themselves let alone an employee or two, and every increase in cost is a real struggle for them to keep those businesses going."

Even for established small businesses, Bruce said one more increase could be a make or break situation. 

"We are seeing businesses closing down both here and in Calgary, we're hearing about those on the news all the time, so it is a concern about one more burden to a business."