Penticton has highest living wage in Thompson-Okanagan

A national lobby group has calculated the hourly wage required to afford basic expenses in various communities across British Columbia, and Penticton tops the list in the Thompson-Okanagan region.

Penticton has the highest living wage in the region at $18.55 per hour, slightly ahead of Kelowna at $18.49, according to Living Wage Canada. Kamloops has the lowest wage at $16.71 per hour. The list did not include a wage for Vernon.

Rent, childcare, food and transportation are factored into what Living Wage Canada considers basic expenses, and the equation also considers tax credits, deductions and subsidies.

READ MORE: Vernon ski area first to guarantee a living wage

Metro Vancouver has the highest hourly living wage in the province at $20.52. Nanaimo has the lowest at $16.33.

Other communities in B.C. on the list include the Columbia Valley at $17.18, Grand Forks at $17.21, Revelstoke’s is $19.51, Nelson at $19.56 and $20.46 in Victoria.

Living Wage Canada has a website that facilitates the sharing of information among communities in Canada in an effort to build a national living wage movement.

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