Minimum wage increases in BC on June 1

British Columbia is set to raise its general minimum wage from $16.75 to $17.40 per hour, effective June 1, 2024. This adjustment represents a 3.9% increase, mirroring the province’s average inflation rate throughout 2023.

Additionally, alternate minimum rates for specific roles, including residential caretakers, live-in home-support workers, and camp leaders, will experience the same 3.9% bump come June 1. Furthermore, on December 31, 2024, the minimum piece rates for 15 hand-harvested crops will see a similar percentage increase.

Harry Bains, Minister of Labour, emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring that minimum-wage adjustments keep pace with inflation to prevent the province’s lowest-paid workers from slipping behind financially. “B.C. has gone from having one of the lowest minimum wages in the country to the highest of all the provinces,” noted Minister Bains.

Under the amendments outlined in Bill 2, future increases to all minimum rates will be automatically calculated based on the previous year’s average inflation rate for British Columbia. This move aims to provide workers and employers with certainty and predictability regarding wage adjustments. Minimum-wage earners can anticipate annual increases they can rely on.

Most wage rates are slated to rise on June 1 of each year, except agricultural piece rates, which will increase on December 31 annually. This adjustment is designed to ensure that crop producers won’t need to adjust wages mid-harvesting season.

Carmen Velasco, a fast-food worker earning minimum wage in Richmond, supported the government’s decision to link wage increases with inflation. “As a fast-food worker earning minimum wage, I welcome the government’s rule to increase wages with inflation annually, providing much-needed financial stability to cope with the rising cost of living.”