As of October 1, the City of Burnaby has implemented a living wage policy for its direct staff. This means that all city staff are earning enough to afford a good quality of life in Burnaby.

The Living Wage for Families Campaign, which calculates living wages for BC communities and certifies Living Wage Employers in BC, congratulated the City of Burnaby on this exciting achievement. The City previously announced in June that it would be adopting a Living Wage program.

“We’re very pleased to see the City of Burnaby reach this milestone of ensuring all its staff are paid the living wage,” said Halena Seiferling, Living Wage for Families Campaign Organizer. “The City is championing fair wages and a good standard of living in Burnaby, and joins other municipal leaders like the Cities of New Westminster, Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, and Vancouver in adopting this policy.”

External service providers that work with the City of Burnaby will be required to pay a living wage on new city contracts as of January 2020. Other Living Wage Employers in Burnaby include Bartec Fire Safety Systems, Great Northern Engineering Consultants, Acuere Consulting, Morrison Hershfield Limited, and SFU’s Public Interest Research Group.  

Becoming a Living Wage Employer is a voluntary commitment that employers of all types can make to invest in their communities and local economies. The 2019 living wage in Metro Vancouver is $19.50 per hour. There are 157 Living Wage Employers in BC, representing nearly 22,000 workers, and including employers ranging from local governments to large companies to non-profit organizations.

Each year, the Living Wage for Families Campaign works with community partners across the province to calculate local living wages. The living wage is the hourly amount a family needs to cover basic expenses. The calculation is based on a two-parent family with two children – the most common family unit in BC – with each parent working full-time.

Learn more about the City of Burnaby's Living Wage policy here.