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B.C.'s minimum wage recently increased to $18.25 an hour from $17.85. (Image Credit: Dreamstime)
wage hike

BC’s minimum rate jumps, still well below Nanaimo area living wage

Jun 2, 2026 | 1:49 PM

NANAIMO — Steadily climbing over the last several years, another minimum wage boost in B.C. is in effect.

However, the newly adopted $18.25 minimum wage in place as of Monday, June 1 for most employees is still well behind the $24.40 per hour estimated to be required for full-time workers to pay for essentials like housing, food and childcare, as compiled by the Living Wage B.C. and BC Policy Alternatives.

B.C.’s rising minimum wage comes it a precarious time for the province’s economy, including many faces of the private sector.

Statistics Canada data showed April represented the third straight month of job losses in B.C. with a reduction of 4,300 jobs, with the accommodation and food sector among the hard hit sectors.

History of BC's minimum wage over the last several years.
History of BC’s minimum wage over the last several years. (Image Credit: B.C. government)

As of the most recent Stats Canada data available, BC’s unemployment rate is 6.8 per cent, the highest level since 2016.

After historically having one of the lowest minimum wage rates in the province, B.C. now has the highest among all provinces, and is behind the territories Nunavut and Yukon at $19.75 and $18.51 respectively.

More information on the application of B.C.’s minimum wage structure is available here.

Current minimum wage levels in place across Canada.
Current minimum wage levels in place across Canada. (Image Credit: Retail Council of Canada)

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