Sunday, June 28, 2026
ADVT 
National

B.C. minimum wage increases by 45 cents per hour starting June 1

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Feb, 2025 12:43 PM
  • B.C. minimum wage increases by 45 cents per hour starting June 1

The British Columbia government says the province's lowest-paid workers are getting a wage boost to keep pace with inflation.

The Ministry of Labour says the minimum wage will increase from $17.40 to $17.85 per hour starting in June.

It says the 2.6 per cent increase follows changes made last spring to the Employment Standards Act, which mandated yearly wage rises.

Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside says those adjustments were made last year because minimum-wage workers are most vulnerable to jumps in prices for living expenses like groceries, rent and gas.

The province says the changes align with government priorities to help lift more people out of poverty, make life more affordable, and build a strong and fair economy for B.C.

It says minimum wage rates increase on June 1 each year, except for the minimum agricultural piece rates that increase on Dec. 31 to ensure crop producers will not have to adjust wages in the middle of the harvesting season.

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. Greens release tax-heavy platform as Conservatives push nuclear power

B.C. Greens release tax-heavy platform as Conservatives push nuclear power
Green Leader Sonia Furstenau says her party's 72-page platform, which includes doubling existing property tax rates and adding a new two-per-cent tax on homes over $3 million, is aimed at creating "an economy that serves the people" instead of "delivering harm."

B.C. Greens release tax-heavy platform as Conservatives push nuclear power

Police launch hate crime investigation after protesters clash in Vancouver

Police launch hate crime investigation after protesters clash in Vancouver
Police in Vancouver say they've launched a hate crime investigation after a clash between protesters with opposing views on war in the Middle East. They say it happened outside the Vancouver Art Gallery Sunday night. 

Police launch hate crime investigation after protesters clash in Vancouver

Fertility rate in Canada at the lowest

Fertility rate in Canada at the lowest
Statistics Canada says the fertility rate in Canada reached an all-time low in 2023, and the lowest rate was recorded in British Columbia. It says Canada’s fertility rate fell to 1.26 births per woman, joining the cohort of “lowest-low” fertility countries, including South Korea, Spain, Italy and Japan.

Fertility rate in Canada at the lowest

BC Greens to roll out election platform

BC Greens to roll out election platform
The B.C. Green Party is expected to be the first to roll out its complete election platform later today. Leader Sonia Furstenau is scheduled to hold a news conference in Victoria this morning.

BC Greens to roll out election platform

B.C. NDP pledges to help middle-income homebuyers with 40% of financing

B.C. NDP pledges to help middle-income homebuyers with 40% of financing
British Columbia's New Democrats have unveiled a plan that Leader David Eby says will help middle-income families purchase a home by financing 40 per cent of the price. The plan commits up to $1.29 billion per year in financing to help middle-income people buy their first home, while supporting the development of up to 25,000 new units over five years.

B.C. NDP pledges to help middle-income homebuyers with 40% of financing

Drug bust in Nanaimo

Drug bust in Nanaimo
Police in Nanaimo say a call from a member of the public has led to charges against a man and a woman accused of drug trafficking. R-C-M-P say they got the call on September 11th, leading to the arrests and seizure of a more than 500 grams of suspected methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl, as well as 430 prescription opioid pills and a loaded gun.

Drug bust in Nanaimo