Here's how much the minimum wage is set to increase in B.C.
The B.C. government is hiking the minimum wage to $16.75 an hour starting June 1, as a measure to help the province's lowest-paid workers with rising inflation.
Labour Minister Harry Bains announced Wednesday that it is rising from $15.65 an hour, which represents a 6.9-per-cent increase.
For someone working 40 hours a week, all year, that's a jump of about $2,200 annually.
"These workers and their families feel the impacts of high costs much more than anyone else," Bains said in a news release explaining the changes.
Yet business groups point out many small businesses are also feeling the impact of the pandemic, inflation, and rising taxes.
Annie Dormuth, director of provincial affairs (B.C.) for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, is urging the province to consider wage subsidies, raising the employer health tax exemption or rebating some of WorkSafeBC's surplus to employers. She also questioned why the province wasn't announcing supports at the same time they increased minimum wage.
"When the Manitoba government announced its increase to inflation they announced it with some sort of wage subsidy for businesses if they're really struggling to absorb that extra cost increase," explained Dormuth.
Asked about the timeline for possible supports, B.C. Minister of Jobs Brenda Bailey said she would be meeting with stakeholders and an announcement may be coming soon.
The province estimates the change will help 150,000 workers. Statistics Canada numbers from 2021 show 42 per cent of B.C.'s minimum wage workers are employed by corporations with 500 employees or more.
That's an issue for Sam Jones, who owns 2% Jazz, a coffee shop where the news conference took place. He says smaller businesses like his, who pay employees a fair wage, are at a disadvantage when competing with large companies, and believes a distinction should be made.
"One solution is to look at where they're coming from. Are they British Columbian companies or are they American companies that are paying the least amount they are legally allowed to?" Jones said.
Even with the minimum wage set to increase, advocates for a living wage – that is, paying people an amount required to live in their city – point out the minimum wage is $7 below what a living wage in B.C. should be.
Federally regulated workers saw their minimum wage rise to $16.65 on April 1.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.