Living wage increases across B.C., reaches $27/hr in Metro Vancouver, says economic think tank

The amount of money it takes for people to earn a living wage has increased across the province, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). 

In Metro Vancouver, the living wage is $27.05 an hour, up 5.3 per cent compared to the 2023 report. The Fraser Valley saw a 12.44 per cent increase, while the Columbia Valley's living wage went up 1.19 per cent. 

It's the all-around increase that has the report's authors calling on employers to offer a living wage in their respective communities and on all levels of government to push forward with cost-saving measures for British Columbians. 

The living wage, according to the CCPA, is the hourly rate that each of two parents working full-time needs to make in order to support a family of four in their community.

It does not take into account debt, home ownership or saving for retirement or children's post-secondary education. 

According to the report, people living in Whistler have the highest living wage; they need to earn $28.09 per hour to meet their basic needs. The lowest living wage in the province is $20.81 an hour in the community of Grand Forks. 

As of June 1, 2024, the minimum wage across B.C. is $17.40 per hour. 

Nearly half a million workers, about 37 per cent of all paid employees in Metro Vancouver, earn less than the living wage, the CCPA says.

"Sky-high rents," child-care costs, grocery prices and transit all contribute to driving up the living wage, according to the report. 

"A trend that we're seeing across the province, we have seen unfortunately for many, many years, is that housing costs continue to increase," report author and Living Wage B.C. provincial manager Anastasia French said.

The latest annual rental report from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, released in January, found that the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Vancouver was $2,181 — the highest in Canada. The only other B.C. city covered in the report, Victoria, was the third highest in the country, at $1,839. 

But housing isn't the only thing bringing up the living wage, French said.

In Kamloops, B.C., families need two cars to get around town due to a lack of public transit options, French said. 

The report authors say they consulted census data that showed 85 per cent of residents drive themselves to work.