The provincial government under Premier John Horgan is making its first move toward a $15-an-hour minimum wage for British Columbia by announcing a 50-cent increase in September 2017 (an increase previously announced by the former BC Liberal government), and renewing its commitment to a fair wages commission.
The BC NDP had originally laid out a plan to reach $15 an hour by 2021, but has now scrapped that goal. In a statement, Labour Minister Harry Bains said while the party remains committed to the $15 target, it would remove the four-year time limit as a “compromise” with other parties.
In making the announcement about the increase, Premier John Horgan said that moving over time to a $15 minimum wage is long overdue in making life more affordable for British Columbians.
“British Columbia’s lowest-paid workers need a raise,” Horgan said. “The action we’re taking will make life better for working parents, seniors, new Canadians, students, and more. These are people struggling to get by.”
Effective September 15, 2017, minimum-wage earners will see their pay increase to $11.35 per hour from $10.85 per hour, giving B.C. the third-highest minimum wage among Canada’s provinces (up from seventh position).
“Today’s increase and our commitment to the $15 minimum wage will benefit almost 100,000 British Columbians who have been getting by on one of the lowest minimum wages in the country,” said Horgan, adding that 62 per cent of minimum-wage earners are women.
Irene Lanzinger, president of the BC Federation of Labour, applauds the move. “A fair minimum wage will be good for working families and good for the economy of B.C. We look forward to working with the B.C. government as we advocate for better wages, including increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour as soon as possible.
“We need to remember that the minimum wage in B.C. was frozen for 10 years by the previous government, and as a result many low-wage workers have suffered just trying to keep their heads above water.”
Fraser-Nicola MLA Jackie Tegart said that she is focusing on a balance between the quality of life for people making minimum wage and the interests of businesses. She noted that the Liberals had previously announced an increase to the minimum wage in September, which is similar to what the NDP government announced.
“But they’re also saying that they want a $15 minimum wage by a certain date and they’re not telling small businesses how exactly they’re going to achieve that,” said Tegart. “I think that’s the issue. Can small businesses afford a $15 minimum wage?”
Tegart warned that if labour is too expensive, small businesses owners will work longer hours and not hire anyone else.
Labour Minister Harry Bains said details around a fair wages commission’s composition and terms of reference will be announced in the coming weeks, but that its overarching objective is to get British Columbia to $15 along a planned, responsible path. The commission will submit its first report within 90 days of its first meeting.
“We’ve listened to business owners, who have told us gradual, predictable increases are the way to go to minimize the impact on their businesses,” Bains said. “And they recognize that the move to a $15 minimum wage is good for retention for their businesses, and good for the B.C. economy.”
At the same time as the general minimum-wage increase, the liquor servers’ wage is also rising by 50 cents to $10.10 per hour. Other minimum-wage provisions in the employment standards regulation will also receive increases in line with the general minimum-wage increase of 4.6%. This includes the daily rate for live-in home support workers and live-in camp leaders, as well as the monthly rates for resident caretakers and the minimum farm worker piece rates for harvesters of certain fruits and vegetables.
