B.C.’s minimum wage goes up another 45 cents but that’s still too low say advocates

Starting Wednesday, people earning minimum wage in B.C. will get a small raise.

The minimum wage is going up to $15.65 per hour — up 45 cents from the previous rate.

That is the highest minimum wage of any Canadian province.

2:19 B.C. raising minimum wage starting in June

The B.C. government has been increasing the minimum wage since 2018.

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Six per cent of employees in B.C. earned minimum wage or less in 2021 and 52 per cent of employees in B.C. earning that wage were older than 25.

Adrienne Montanni, executive director of First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Society, said this minimum wage increase still does not meet the cost of living in Metro Vancouver, which is $20.52 an hour. She said the cost of living is calculated on a family of four, with both parents working, living on a conservative budget.

She said the minimum wage is still too low.

“I think it’s still too low, anywhere in the province,” she said. “So what it can do is reduce the depth of their poverty right now, bringing up the floor a little bit and that’s always a good thing but it’s still not enough to lift them out of poverty.”

Montanni said the biggest costs for families and individuals remain housing, food, child care and transportation.