B.C.’s minimum wage on the rise this week

The minimum wage in British Columbia is going up this week.

The province is raising the wage the lowest-paid workers from $15.65 to $16.75 per hour on Thursday, June 1.

It’s a bump of 6.9% that will impact approximately 150,000 workers, according to a B.C. Ministry of Labour media release. It’s the second year that the rate increase was tied to inflation.

The province said the increase will make B.C.’s minimum wage the highest in Canada aside from Yukon where it’s $16.77 per hour.

Last year the minimum wage rose by 2.8% to reflect the cost of living increase from 2021 to 2022.

“Minimum wage applies regardless of how employees are paid – hourly, salary, commission or on an incentive basis,” according to the Ministry’s website. “If an employee's wage is below minimum wage for the hours they worked, the employer must top up their payment so that it's equal to minimum wage.”

The lowest minimum wage in Canada is in Saskatchewan at $13 per hour.

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