Calling on all parties to help close the gap between the living and the minimum wage
British Columbia is a beautiful and prosperous place to live, but too many people are struggling to make ends meet. 1 in 3 families in Metro Vancouver do not currently earn a Living Wage, and there is an $8 gap between the minimum and the Living Wage for most of BC.
A high living wage is bad for business and it's bad for workers. It makes it hard for businesses to step up and pay a Living Wage, and workers that earn less than the Living Wage face impossible choices—buy groceries or heat the house, keep up with bills or pay the rent on time.
The new platform needs to include recommendations for how they plan to close the gap between the minimum and the living wage – proposals that both lift wages and lower costs.
We call on the next government to take decisive action to help lower costs and lift wages to stop the wage gap from spreading out of control. Specifically, we need all parties to commit to:
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- Stopping large rent increases. Through building more affordable housing and introducing an emergency measure to control rent increases between tenancies.
- Lowering food prices. Develop and implement policies to address the growing issue of food unaffordability and insecurity in BC.
- Creating better rural transit. Expand the BC transit network in rural areas so that working families don’t have to take on the cost of two cars to get around.
- Becoming a Living Wage Employer. Lead by example through becoming a certified Living Wage Employer for all direct and contracted Government of BC workers, including those working for non-profit organizations that receive funding from Government.
- Increasing the minimum wage to at least $20 an hour, with further increases planned out to get to the living wage.
- Enact intersectional pay equity laws to protect and advance equitable pay.
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