Thursday, July 9, 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

Freeze Cdn funding for UNRWA: Israel advocates

Freeze Cdn funding for UNRWA: Israel advocates
Israel advocates are asking the Federal Court to reverse Ottawa's decision to continue funding the main United Nations agency supporting Palestinians. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is joining Canadians whose relatives were killed in the Hamas attack last October in asking Ottawa to stop funding UNRWA.  

Freeze Cdn funding for UNRWA: Israel advocates

One Canadian missing after Taiwan earthquake, says Global Affairs

One Canadian missing after Taiwan earthquake, says Global Affairs
Global Affairs Canada and Taiwan's top diplomat in Ottawa say a Canadian is missing in Taiwan after the powerful earthquake that hit the island this week. Global Affairs spokesman Pierre Cuguen says consular officials are providing assistance to the family and are in contact with local authorities.

One Canadian missing after Taiwan earthquake, says Global Affairs

RCMP still probing alleged meddling in federal elections, but offers few details

RCMP still probing alleged meddling in federal elections, but offers few details
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says the police force has several open investigations into possible foreign interference in the last two general elections — probes that began only after the votes were counted. Duheme declined to elaborate Thursday on the number or nature of the probes, citing the integrity of the investigations, privacy concerns and public safety.

RCMP still probing alleged meddling in federal elections, but offers few details

9 years for cocaine smuggler: CBSA

9 years for cocaine smuggler: CBSA
The Canada Border Services Agency says a man who got caught smuggling more than 70 kilograms of cocaine into Canada through the Pacific Highway border crossing has been sentenced to nine years in prison. Gerry Crawley, a commercial driver from New Brunswick, came through the Surrey crossing in March 2021 with a tractor-trailer of products from California.

9 years for cocaine smuggler: CBSA

BC announces changes to Police Act

BC announces changes to Police Act
The province has announced changes to the Police Act that it says would strengthen oversight of local police forces and improve their governance. The legislative changes would allow B-C’s police complaints commissioner to call a public hearing earlier into misconduct investigations, and give the commissioner the authority to conduct systemic reviews into causes or contributors of police complaints.

BC announces changes to Police Act

Canadian wildfires 'entirely' drove surge in global tree loss in 2023, study says

Canadian wildfires 'entirely' drove surge in global tree loss in 2023, study says
A global forest study says Canadian wildfires last year were "entirely" to blame for a worldwide surge in tree losses. The study released by researchers at the University of Maryland on the Global Forest Watch website says tree cover loss in 2023 reached 28.3 million hectares globally, a 24 per cent jump driven by Canada's loss of 8.6 million hectares last year.

Canadian wildfires 'entirely' drove surge in global tree loss in 2023, study says