The B.C. government is considering a bigger-than-expected increase to the province’s $10.45 minimum wage, which will be the lowest in the country as of April 1.
The wage, which is tied to inflation, is slated to go up by about 10 cents on Sept. 15.
But Jobs Minister Shirley Bond is talking with business and labour groups about raising the wage this year by more than the increase in the B.C. Consumer Price Index,.
“Given our stronger economic growth, we feel there should be room for a modest incremental adjustment beyond B.C.’s CPI so that all workers can benefit from our success,” she said in a statement. “The scheduled increase based on this year’s B.C. CPI does not reflect the economic circumstances of the province.”
Bond gave no indication how much of an increase she is considering.
Ontario has the highest minimum wage among the provinces at $11.25 an hour, followed by Alberta at $11.20 and Manitoba at $11.
New Brunswick has the lowest wage at $10.30, but that will increase to $10.65 on April 1, leaving B.C. at the bottom.
An increase of 25 to 30 cents would move B.C. back into the middle of the pack, ahead of four or five other provinces.
Bond said she expects to announce the new minimum wage this spring and indicated that it will take effect Sept. 15.
The B.C. Federation of Labour met with government ministers at the B.C. legislature this month to push for a $15-an-hour minimum wage.
“Other jurisdictions are raising their minimum wage,” president Irene Lanzinger told reporters.
“They can do it in Seattle, in San Francisco, in L.A., in New York, in Alberta, and we can do it here, too.
“On April 1 of this year, we will be last in minimum wage in this country with one of the highest costs of living in the country. So we’re calling on the government to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and lift hundreds of thousands of workers out of poverty.”
The province says 93,700 people earned minimum wage or less last year. Of those, 55,700 or 59 per cent were women and 53,600 or 57 per cent were young people ages 15 to 24.
The minimum wage went up by 20 cents last September and future increases were tied to CPI. The wage for liquor servers climbed to $9.20 from $9, while piece rates for farm workers and other labourers increases proportionate to the minimum wage.
