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

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.