Affordability advocates say the new minimum wage will not allow workers and their families to live dignified lives.
Starting June 1, the minimum wage in B.C. will climb to $18.25 an hour.
Living Wage BC, an advocacy group for affordability, says the 40-cent increase is a step in the right direction but still not enough to provide a dignified standard of living.
“That they know that they’ll be able to pay their rent, they are not living in a financial crisis on a monthly basis. They know that if they get sick, they have some money that they’ll be able to take care of their well-being,” said Navdeep Singh Chhina, managing director of the organization.
“These are the expectations when we ask the government to make it possible for people to earn a living wage.”
According to him, workers in Metro Vancouver need to earn at least $27.85 an hour to comfortably cover those basic expenses.
This, however, varies based on the municipality people live in.
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While Squamish and Whistler are at the top of the list with a living wage of $28 and $29.60, respectively, employees in Grand Forks, Port Alberni, or Prince George could live comfortably with up to $23.15
“We’re not talking about people living in luxury, but rather people having the ability to support a basic, decent standard of living.”
He adds there are also misconceptions around who earns a minimum wage, saying it is surprising to find out it’s not young people.
“It’s people with families, older people who are still making a living wage. Quite often, they might be immigrants to these countries and move with their families, and they’re working two or three jobs and still struggling to pay their rent.”
Living Wage BC argues that raising the minimum wage doesn’t just help workers and their families; it also strengthens local economies by allowing people to spend money in their own communities.
The provincial government says that the 2,1 per cent minimum wage increase is based on the rate of inflation.
Singh Chhina adds he encourages voters to hold local councillors and politicians accountable for supporting living wage policies with the upcoming municipal election this fall.
The lowest minimum wage in Canada is paid in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. Nunavut pays the highest wage at $19.75.
– With files from Raynaldo Suarez.