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

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.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Dominic LeBlanc says he won't run for Liberal leadership as party caucus meets

The federal Liberal caucus gathered on Parliament Hill on Wednesday with speculation swirling about which of its members will put their names forward to lead the party into the next election — and with one potential contender bowing out. Just before the meeting got underway, Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc posted a statement to social media thanking supporters for their encouragement and saying he's decided not to run in the upcoming race.

Dominic LeBlanc says he won't run for Liberal leadership as party caucus meets

Mounties seize 171,000 packs of illicit cigarettes in Langford

Mounties in British Columbia say officers have seized more than $1.7 million worth of contraband tobacco after executing a search warrant at a property in Langford. West Shore RCMP say in a news release that the warrant was granted in relation to suspected trafficking of the tobacco, and was executed by officers on Dec. 30 at a residential property on Setchfield Ave.

Mounties seize 171,000 packs of illicit cigarettes in Langford

Cargo ship stuck for 2 weeks refloats

A ship that had been stuck in the St. Lawrence River northeast of Montreal since Christmas Eve was successfully refloated on Tuesday. The Canadian Coast Guard says the MV Maccoa has been escorted by tugboats to a dock at Sorel-Tracy, Que.

Cargo ship stuck for 2 weeks refloats

Trudeau travelling to Washington for former U.S. president Jimmy Carter's funeral

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office says he will attend former U.S. president Jimmy Carter's funeral in Washington, D.C. on January 9. Carter died Dec. 29 at the age of 100. He was the 39th president of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981.

Trudeau travelling to Washington for former U.S. president Jimmy Carter's funeral

Sea sponges' sneeze like people

Researchers have discovered sea sponges' ability to sneeze like people after a study off the B-C coast. University of Alberta professor Sally Leys says a study into the behaviour of a sea sponge nicknamed Belinda over four years found the animal doing slow-motion sneeze-like contractions lasting about a day.

Sea sponges' sneeze like people

Thousands at Fort McMurray picket lines

The Canadian Union of Public Employees says the main sticking point is wages and that its members haven't seen a pay increase in well over a decade. School support workers encompass staffers from custodians and administration workers to tradespeople and education assistants.