NEWS RELEASE

July 3, 2015

VANCOUVER – Nine employers were certified as Living Wage Employers yesterday by the Living Wage for Families Campaign.

“Eight of the nine certified employers have fewer than 50 employees,” observes Deanna Ogle, the campaign organizer with the Living Wage for Families Campaign. “This demonstrates the strong  commitment and contribution of small businesses to the economic health of local communities.”

The nine business are Village Cleaners, Dr. V. K. Bubbar, Sea to Sky Network Solutions, Realistic Success Recovery Society, Acuere Consulting, Huu-ay-aht First Nations, Morrison Hershfield, Yoga Outreach Society and Mt. Lehman Credit Union.

Employers are certified by the Living Wage for Families Campaign when they pay all direct and third party contracted staff a living wage. The living wage is the amount a family of four, with two parents working full time, need to earn to meet their expenses. The living wage in Metro Vancouver is $20.68/hr – more than double the minimum wage.

This certification covers hundreds of employees across a diverse range of industries from a dry cleaning business to a First Nations government to an engineering consulting firm.

“My goal since day one was to show that a difference can be made in an industry known for heavy pollution – dry cleaning.  The final part of this goal was to be certified as a Living Wage Employer,” stated Robert Tosoni, Village Cleaners Inc. “Sustainability includes taking care of people and the environment, by certifying as a Living Wage Employer we are making a long term commitment to both.”

There are now 46 certified Living Wage Employers throughout BC covering more than 6,500 direct employees and countless contracted staff.

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For further information contact:

Deanna Ogle, Campaign Organizer  (604) 364-2917

Robert Tosoni, Village Cleaners (604) 707-1111

The nine Employers that were recently certified as Living Wage Employers are:

Village Cleaners is Vancouver’s environmental garment cleaner, providing a complete range of high-end garment cleaning and alteration services for their clients.

Dr. V. K. Bubbar operates a small medical clinic located in White Rock.

Sea to Sky Network Solutions is a professional IT services firm located in Vancouver, providing complete IT sales, service and support.

Realistic Success Recovery Society is a non-profit charitable society based in Surrey that operates residential recovery homes.

Acuere Consulting is a boutique consultancy providing professional engineering, planning and technical services for the transportation sector.

The Huu-ay-aht First Nations is a First Nations government. HFN became a Treaty Nation on April 1, 2011. In addition to the day-to-day functions of government, the HFN provides a wide range of programs and services to the Huu-ay-aht citizens.

Morrison Hershfield delivers innovative, cost effective and technically sophisticated engineering projects.  The firm is committed to developing sustainable solutions that help clients achieve their goals.

Yoga Outreach Society is a registered charity which partners with volunteer yoga instructors, community organizations, social service agencies and correctional facilities to provide mindfulness-based yoga programming to often overlooked adults and at-risk youth.

Mount Lehman Credit Union is a values-driven financial institution situated in the middle of the Fraser Valley with a history of 71 years in business.