Golden's first certified Living Wage Employer

Kicking Horse Janitorial Ltd is the first company in Golden to become a certified Living Wage Employer. It has committed to pay its staff and contracted workers a Living Wage.

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. The Living Wage for Golden is $19.46 an hour.

"We are excited to be the first certified living wage employer in Golden and look forward to many others joining the list. Allowing potential employees to see that you are a living wage employer helps businesses to stand out, attract and retain quality staff, particularly in a challenging labour market. Being a certified living wage employer holds businesses accountable to compensating their employees in a way that values people and the sustainability of our community. All people deserve to be compensated in a way that allows them and their families to do more than scrape by. A living wage is a good starting place for that and something important that employers can do for the health of their community, staff, and their own businesses' long-term viability. I encourage businesses to see the living wage as just the cost of doing business moving forward." Scott Weir, Kicking Horse Janitorial Ltd.

Kicking Horse Janitorial is a commercial janitorial cleaning company in Golden, BC.. Established in 2008 they specialize in office and commercial cleaning including professional medical clinics, light industrial and business offices. They also offer carpet and upholstery cleaning services,

Most children growing up in poverty in BC live with at least one adult working full-time, full-year. In other words, child poverty in BC is very much a low-wage story. For most of the past decade, BC’s child-poverty rate has remained at one in five children living in poverty.

“We’re delighted that Kicking Horse Janitorial has become a Living Wage Employer. We hope it encourages other employers in Golden to join the Living Wage movement. Paying a living wage is good for workers, employers and the local community” said Anastasia French, Living Wage for Families BC

Over the past two years, the number of Living Wage Employers in BC has more than doubled – there are now nearly 400 Living Wage Employers in BC.

Employers have found paying a living wage to be a key tool in their post-Covid economic recovery. 97% of Living Wage Employers in BC have found some benefit to being part of the program.

Certifying as a Living Wage Employer is a voluntary commitment employers make to invest in their communities and local economies.