National

B.C. to boost minimum wage to $16.75 an hour

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 05 Apr, 2023 03:16 PM

VICTORIA - British Columbia's minimum wage will increase to $16.75 an hour, a boost that the government says fulfils a promise to tie the benchmark pay level to inflation.

The new minimum wage kicks in on June 1 and represents a 6.9 per cent increase from the current $15.65 an hour.

Labour Minister Harry Bains says the measure is a key step to preventing the province's lowest-paid workers from falling behind.

He says the same percentage increase will apply for residential caretakers, live-in home-support workers and camp leaders.

People in BC are finding it difficult to make ends meet, especially the lowest-paid workers. Tying the minimum wage to the rate of inflation is the right thing to do. From Jun. 1, #BC’s #minimumwage will increase to $16.75/hour. Lean more: https://t.co/9g1MWMK3AA @BCGovNews pic.twitter.com/JxvkWdbqRl
— Harry Bains (@HarryBainsSN) April 5, 2023

A ministry statement says the wage increase matches B.C.'s 2022 average inflation rate and will benefit about 150,000 workers, most of them food service staff, grocery store workers, retail workers and others who were essential workers during the pandemic.

The $1.10 increase is much greater than the 45-cent boost in 2022, which matched the previous year's 2.8 per cent inflation rate.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Canada's COVID-19 vaccines starting to expire

The 1.5 million expired doses amount to less than two per cent of the 118 million doses delivered to Canada since December 2020. There are more than 18 million doses in Canada's national stockpile at the moment, the vast majority of which will expire in the next four mont

Canada's COVID-19 vaccines starting to expire

Trudeau touts budget as bank raises interest rate

Trudeau told reporters today in the Montreal area that the recently tabled budget includes measures to help with the high cost of housing, including a tax-free savings account buyers can use to purchase a first home starting next year.

Trudeau touts budget as bank raises interest rate

Bank of Canada increases interest rate to 1 percent

The central bank hiked its policy interest rate by half a percentage point to one per cent on Wednesday. Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem said inflation is too high and is expected to stay elevated for longer than the bank previously thought.

Bank of Canada increases interest rate to 1 percent

One dead as tree topples across Vancouver road

A statement from police says it happened just after 5 p.m. Tuesday on Marine Way in southeast Vancouver. They say the victim was alone in a sedan when the tree toppled across all three westbound lanes, crushing the vehicle's passenger compartment.

One dead as tree topples across Vancouver road

Crews search water off Nanaimo, B.C., for man

Police say they were called Monday evening to a report that a woman had fallen overboard and a vessel from the Nanaimo Port Authority found her clinging to a rope tied to an anchored sailboat. But police say the man, who is believed to be the woman's 59-year-old partner, has not been seen.

Crews search water off Nanaimo, B.C., for man

Arrest made in the death of International Indian student Kartik Vasudev

The man arrested is 39 years old Richard Jonathan Edwin, who was also charged with another homicide last Saturday. He is described as a Black male who is about 5'6 to 5'7 feet tall with a medium build.