$15 minimum wage consultations begin with B.C.’s Fair Wages Commission on Thursday

The three-week long consultation phase on the minimum wage by B.C.’s Fair Wages Commission kicks off in Abbotsford on Thursday.

The B.C. Federation of Labour would like to see British Columbia match Ontario and push the rate to $15 per hour by January 2019.

President Irene Lanzinger says a wage hike can ease affordability problems, especially in the metro region.

“In this province, even $15 is not a good enough wage to really live on. We know that the living wage in Vancouver is $20.68. We’re looking forward to this process of figuring out how we get minimum wages to match living wages.”

“We think that’s a very reasonable timeline to put to the commission. We will also be arguing that all of the exemptions should be gone. There should be no liquor-server wage. There should be no exemption for farm workers and caregivers and camp leaders.”

However, the B.C. Restaurant and Food Services Association isn’t so sure smaller businesses would be able to handle the change in a short amount of time.

President and CEO Ian Tostenson says more time is needed for restaurants.

“What we’re hoping to do is help the government get there. But we’re hoping the government helps us get there in a way that makes business sense to our industry and that really is moving slower to get to $15.”

He says if the minimum rate goes up, some businesses will cut jobs or reduce hours.

‘”Businesses will say, ‘We can only afford to pay so much.’  So what you really have to be sensitive to is employees that want to make more and at the same time not just paying wages that it makes yourself insolvent and you can’t carry on your business. And therefore people lose their jobs, the business closes and/or they lose hours.”‘

He says most restaurants spend 30 per cent of costs on wages and a bump to $15 per hour would push that to 40 per cent.

In September, the NDP scrapped its deadline to have a $15 minimum wage in place by 2021.

Both the Restaurant and Food Services Association and the Federation of Labour will present to the commission in Vancouver next week.