B.C.'s minimum wage is going up, but some say workers need more
Advocate says the new minimum wage of $16.75 an hour is not a living wage for most of the province
Ruth McMillan of Williams Lake, B.C., says even with an upcoming wage increase, she won't quite be making a living wage.
"I don't see it really as life-changing," said McMillan, who works as a deli clerk at a grocery store. "It will allow me to keep up a little bit with the price of groceries."
B.C.'s minimum wage will jump by more than a dollar an hour starting Thursday.
The boost to the general minimum wage will increase it to $16.75 per hour on June 1, up from $15.65.
The province says it reflects 2022's average annual inflation rate, which was nearly seven per cent.
But even though the increase is tied to inflation, McMillan says her wage is not enough.
She says she is lucky to live with family, paying much less than what rent typically costs in her area.
"I'd be using food banks, I'd be really struggling to get by if I didn't have that," she said.
To make ends meet, McMillan says she has to purchase lower quality groceries at reduced prices, sometimes buying mouldy produce.
"It can be tough to manage, to get by."
She says the wage increase won't help cover other costs such as retirement savings and medical expenses that aren't covered by the province.
What is a living wage?
Anastasia French, the provincial manager for Living Wage for Families B.C., says even though this year's increase to the minimum wage is linked to inflation, it still doesn't serve as a living wage for most workers in B.C.
"I would argue that seven per cent is a compromise," said French. "For those low-wage workers, their costs are going up at a far higher rate than even inflation."
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French's group advocates for employers to go beyond the minimum wage and pay workers a "living wage," the hourly rate two working adults need to earn in order to meet the basic needs of a family of four.
Metro Vancouver's living wage is $24.08 an hour, which adds up to $12,500 a year more than the new minimum wage, says French.
"Where are those workers going to find that extra $12,500 from?" she said.
French says people who are paid minimum wage often have to cope by cutting expenses and taking on extra work.
- With files from the Canadian Press