National

B.C.’s minimum wage increases to $18.25, June 1

Darpan News Desk Darpan, 26 May, 2026 10:57 AM

As of Monday, June 1, 2026, the province's general minimum wage will rise to $18.25 an hour.

Types of wages affected

The increase of just over 2.1% raises the general minimum wage from $17.85 to $18.25 per hour. The same percentage increase applies to the minimum rates for resident caretakers, live-in home-support workers, live-in camp leaders and app-based ride-hailing and delivery service workers.

The minimum agricultural piece-rate wages for the hand harvesting of specified crops will increase by just over 2.1% on Dec. 31, 2026. The Dec. 31 date for the annual increase to the minimum piece rates ensures crop producers will not need to adjust wages in the middle of the harvesting season.

Context for this increase

* The Province is committed to a minimum wage structure that benefits the lowest-paid workers, while providing employers with certainty and predictability.

* Changes were made to the Employment Standards Act in 2024 to ensure annual minimum wage increases occur automatically based on B.C.'s average monthly inflation rate from the previous year.

* Approximately 141,300 employees in B.C. earned the minimum wage or less in 2025.

* These increases have moved B.C. from near the bottom to among the highest minimum wages in Canada.

Learn More:

* For details on this year's minimum wage increase, read the news release: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2026LBR0002-000191

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Man in weekend drowning found safe: Chilliwack RCMP

Mounties in Chilliwack say a man who was thought to have drowned on Saturday morning has been found safe. A statement from the R-C-M-P says they were called to the Vedder River just before 11 a-m after a man was heard screaming for help and then going silent.

Man in weekend drowning found safe: Chilliwack RCMP

Quick Sketch: Meet Liberal leadership candidate Karina Gould

Karina Gould is making her pitch to Liberal grassroots as the best candidate to rebuild and restore Canadians' faith in the party. At 37, she's the youngest contender in the running and the millennial mom says it's time for a new generation of leadership at the top. Here's a quick look at how the rising star in the party arrived at this moment.

Quick Sketch: Meet Liberal leadership candidate Karina Gould

Quick Sketch: Meet Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland

Chrystia Freeland is touting her experience in government as evidence she can rebuild the Liberal party and steer the country through a perilous time. The former journalist built her career in Soviet Union, and worked personal connections to navigate the Donald Trump's first presidency — to the point of annoying him.

Quick Sketch: Meet Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland

B.C. paramedics say staffing nears 'critical' levels, affecting response times

The union representing almost 6,000 ambulance paramedics and dispatchers in British Columbia is sounding an alarm on staffing levels "reaching critical" in the province. In a statement, the Ambulance Paramedics of British Columbia CUPE 873 says members are reporting "dozens and dozens" of empty ambulances, with "hundreds" of unfilled positions across the province.

B.C. paramedics say staffing nears 'critical' levels, affecting response times

B.C. premier should work with U.S., not ramp up trade threats: Opposition leader

In a video posted on social media, John Rustad says everything possible needs to be done to stop drugs from coming into the province and address issues at the ports, and that a trade war could cost tens of thousands of jobs.

B.C. premier should work with U.S., not ramp up trade threats: Opposition leader

Boat sinks after smouldering for three hours in Indian Arm waters

A boat was destroyed in the waters of the Indian Arm fjord near North Vancouver's Deep Cove on Saturday afternoon after it caught fire, smouldered for over three hours and sank. A spokesperson for the Pacific region of the Fisheries Department says Canadian Coast Guard were advised of the burning boat just after noon on Jan. 18 and dispatched from the Kitsilano Base.