KELOWNA – If a Kelowna sandwich shop is any indication, how you feel about the province’s plans to bump up the minimum wage may depend on your job title.
The province announced Wednesday that B.C.’s hourly minimum wage will jump from $10.45 to $10.85 in September.
Another wage boost for the province’s lowest earners is planned for September 2017.
Read More: B.C.’s minimum wage popping up to $11.25 by 2017
At the Kelowna Subway sandwich shop he owns Amarjit Lalli called wage increases “a fact of life,” but questioned whether they do much to help workers.
“Do we really defeat the purpose?” said Lalli. “What ends up happening is as soon as the minimum wage goes up we have to jack up our prices. So, is the person actually any further ahead?”
Lalli says wage increases also put pressure on businesses.
Meanwhile, one of his employees, Raphael Alarcon, welcomed the news the minimum wage is going up.
“It’s good news for me,” said Alarcon. “The cost of living in B.C. is quite high so it’s a big help for me and my family.”
Currently, B.C.’s hourly minimum wage of $10.45 is the lowest in the country.
– with files from Kimberly Davidson
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