2022 Update
Living expenses in BC, particularly for housing and food, are continuing to rise for families, meaning higher wages are required for working families to afford their basic needs.
This new report, published in partnership between the CCPA-BC and Living Wage for Families BC, calculates the living wage in 22 communities across BC and finds that BC’s minimum wage of $15.65 per hour is less than the living wage in each of those communities. It also shows that family expenses have increased since 2019 in Metro Vancouver and Victoria at a rate higher than inflation.
In addition to looking at the costs of basic family needs, the calculations in this report include changes in government investments that make life more affordable for families. Recent government investments in child care and other policy measures to support families have helped to prevent a greater increase in the living wage. The report finds that further increasing those investments, with initiatives like $10-a-day child care, can help make lives more affordable for families.
Attachments
2022 Working for a Living Wage Technical Appendix
2022 Living Wage BC Calculation Spreadsheet
About the authors
Iglika Ivanova
Iglika Ivanova was a Senior Economist and the Public Interest Researcher at the CCPA-BC.
Shannon Daub
Shannon was the CCPA-BC Director and co-director of the Corporate Mapping Project.
Anastasia French
Anastasia (she/her) has been managing the Living Wage Campaign since June 2020. She has a decade of experience managing campaigns and projects that have changed laws and policies in the UK and Canada and raised millions for good causes. In her spare time, she enjoys trying to visit every park, library and brewery in Vancouver.
