B.C. minimum wage set to rise above $15 an hour June 1

Wages for British Columbia's lowest paid workers are on their way up in June with the minimum wage breaking the $15 an hour mark.

The province's minimum wage is set to rise by $0.60 to $15.20 an hour from the present $14.60 an hour on June 1, according to the B.C. government.

The province established a fair wages commission to recommend a fair and predictable path to a $15 an hour general minimum wage. It suggested a series of four minimum wage increases to take B.C.’s lowest paid workers to $15 an hour by 2021.

READ MORE: B.C. liquor servers to get pay boost

The province says future increases to the minimum wage, starting next year, will be based on the rate of inflation to provide predictability.

SUBMITTED/Province of B.C.

The first increase took place, June 1, 2018, with a $1.30 increase bringing the minimum wage to $12.65.

On June 1, 2019, a further $1.20 was added, bringing the minimum wage to $13.85, and on June 1, 2020, an additional $0.75 was added, bringing the rate to $14.60.

The increase on June 1 this year is expected to impact close to 400,000 B.C. workers with just over 20 per cent of the labour force making minimum wage, and of those, 62 per cent are women.

SUBMITTED/Province of B.C.

For more information on the minimum wage, and alternate minimum wages, check out this B.C. government web page.


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Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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