FILE PHOTO.
Image Credit: pexels.com/energepic.com
November 22, 2024 - 7:00 PM
A new report on living wages in B.C. has bad news for most people in Kamloops and the Okanagan, but a researcher says there's still hope for improvement.
Living Wage BC, a program with Vancity Community Foundation, puts out an annual report on the living wage in 25 cities in the province.
Kelowna’s living wage is $25.77, Penticton is $24.93, Kamloops is $23.69 and Revelstoke is $25.50.
In 2024 Kelowna’s living wage increased by five per cent, Penticton’s rose by three per cent, while Revelstoke increased by four per cent.
Kamloops’ living wage went up by 13 per cent but a change in methodology impacted the increase.
Living Wage BC’s provincial manager Anastasia French said although the news seems grim she think next year the living wage increase might be less than inflation.
“It's a bit doom and gloom. We're three years now of the living wage going up higher than inflation. And it's hard. It's hard right now for workers, for employers, for small businesses, for lots of people who are trying to do the right thing," French said. "I do see some hope on the horizon. One thing is listing prices are beginning to come down, which hasn't impacted on this year's living wage. But I'm hoping that maybe it will impact next year's living wage."
The living wage is a calculation of how much two people working full-time would have to make per hour to support a family of four. Even though the living wage is calculated for families with kids, paying young adults a living wage would help them start a family of their own someday.
The living wage calculation doesn’t include things like saving up to buy a home, go on vacation or buy a new car.
Living Wage BC has worked with 450 employers to encourage them to pay their workers enough to comfortably thrive. Employers who pay a living wage have said that it helps their business as well as their workers.
“From an employer's perspective, 97 per cent of living wage employers in B.C. have benefited from being part of the program. That's a really high success stat,” French said. “They also find that from a business perspective, it has lowered staff turnover, it helps with recruitment, it helps with retention.
"And being able to say that you're a living wage employer, and that you pay your workers a living wage, can help actually make the case to customers, to clients, to other people, for why they should pick you to do business with.”
READ MORE: iN PHOTOS: Uplifting animal antics in Kamloops, Okanagan
The provincial government has been steadily increasing the minimum wage, inching it closer to the living wage, but there's still a long way to go. In 2019 the minimum wage in B.C. was $13.85, and it’s currently $17.40 with another increase set for June 1, 2025.
The lowest living wage among the cities in this year’s report is $20.61 in Grand Forks, and the most expensive city is Whistler with a living wage of $28.09.
“I recognize that when you have a $27 living wage, or $20, depending on where you are, that's a big ask of employers. And that's why a lot of the focus right now is on what the government can do to help. Because if we can lower the living wage, that makes it easier for employers to pay a living wage,” she said.
Living Wage BC proposes several actions the government could take to reduce the living wage so it’s easier for employers.
Lower childcare costs, improved public transit, affordable housing, and better pharmacare and mental health care would all help decrease the cost of living but those changes take time to implement.
French said one of the easiest things for the government to do is help people making a lower wage get better benefits, like dental coverage, from their employer.
“If the government could look at both how much families get in benefits, and then also the cut-off points and call-back points of different benefits, that could really do a big job in helping to lower the living wage next year,” she said. “It's quite a technical difference. It's not maybe the most glamorous, but it would also put more money back in the pockets of low-wage workers, which could really benefit them.”
French said employers benefit from paying people a living wage, and the government has incentive to decrease the cost of living so there is still hope for improvement in the near future.
“With lots of other challenges ahead, I can understand why maybe paying a living wage isn't a priority. But we hope that they can see the benefits and they can invest and maybe develop a plan. So if they can't bring everyone up this year, maybe next year or the year after, they can ensure that all their workers are earning a living wage,” she said.
Click here for the full report from Living Wage BC.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jesse Tomas or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. Find our Journalism Ethics policy here.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.
News from © iNFOnews, 2024