BC Has Lowest Minimum Wage In Canada

VICTORIA - The toppings are flying at the Joint Pizzeria and the man with creative control is Jacob Halldorson, who's been working here for 2 and a half years and started at $10/hour. "I wouldn't live here anymore if I was making the minimum wage. I wouldn't be able to pay for my apartment" he says.
Owner Jeff Hurry says his staff stick around longer - and do a better job if he pays more. He thinks $8/hour is too low and hasn't paid the minimum for five years. "It should be raised ... eight years is ridiculous."

He's taking the words right out of Rob Fleming's mouth. The Victoria-Swan Lake NDP MLA says the Campbell Government is lagging way behind. "BC is the most expensive place to live in Canada, in some cases it has a 30-40% higher cost of living than other provinces" says Fleming.

In the province's defense Labour Minister Murray Coell says in a statement:

"At this time of economic uncertainty, it's of utmost importance to keep British Columbians working. Raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour could result in a loss of more than 50,000 jobs over the long term."

Fleming isn't buying it. "I'm not buying that at all. A lot of provinces with higher growth rates than BC right now that are weathering the recession better than we are have a significantly higher minimum wage."

Hemingway Boutique's Tiffiny Dobson who also starts staff several dollars above the minimum is worried a rise in BC's rate would still affect her wages. "We're going to have to raise it up as minimum wage rises, so it affects us the same as someone who pays the minimum."

The Labour Minister also points out the average hourly wage for youth in BC is $13.18 per hour, which he says is good for third place in Canada.

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