The province’s lowest paid workers will get a 45-cent pay raise on June 1, bringing their hourly wage to $15.65.
B.C. will soon have the highest minimum wage of Canadian provinces, according to a media release by the Ministry of Labour.
“B.C. had one of the lowest minimum wages in the country prior to 2017, but was one of the most expensive places to live,” said Harry Bains, minister of labour. “We do not want our lowest-paid workers to fall behind. The minimum wage increases tied to inflation are part of our plan to build an economy that works for everyone.”
The increase is the first one to be tied to B.C.’s average annual inflation rate. This year’s rate is 2.8 per cent and was calculated from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2021, according to the release.
Over the past five years, B.C.’s minimum wage has increased from $11.35 to $15.65 per hour. The increases have impacted almost 400,000 British Columbians over those years, the majority of whom are women, immigrants and youth, according to the ministry.
An increase of 2.8 per cent will also apply to the live-in camp leader and live-in home support worker minimum daily wages, as well as the resident caretaker minimum monthly wage.
On Jan. 1, 2023, an increase of 2.8 per cent will apply to minimum piece rates for hand harvesting of 15 specified crops in the agricultural sector, including: peaches, apricots, Brussels sprouts, daffodils, mushrooms, apples, beans, blueberries, cherries, grapes, pears, peas, prune plums, raspberries and strawberries.
