Premier John Horgan announced today the next steps in British Columbia's planned move toward a $15 per hour minimum wage, which was a central component of the NDP's political platform in the 2017 provincial election. The provincial government will raise the minimum wage in British Columbia from its current rate of $11.35 per hour to $12.65 by June 2018.
The announcement follows the recommendation of the Fair Wages Commission (the "Commission"), established by the provincial government in October 2017 to advise on how to move toward the $15 minimum wage. The Commission engaged in public consultations in late 2017 to inform a report which was delivered to the Minister of Labour in early 2018. The Commission’s report recommends scheduled minimum wage increases as follows:
| Year | Increase ($) | Minimum Wage | % Increase |
| June 2018 | 1.30 | $12.65 | 11.5 |
| June 2019 | 1.20 | $13.85 | 9.5 |
| June 2020 | 0.75 | $14.60 | 5.4 |
| June 2021 | 0.60 | $15.20 | 4.1 |
In its report, the Commission also suggests that there may be scope to add an additional $0.15 to $0.20 to the final increment in 2021 beyond the recommended schedule, which option should be determined approximately six months in advance of the final increase, depending on prevailing economic and labour market conditions.
The full version of the Commission’s report is available here.
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Nicole practises in all areas of labour and employment law, including advising clients on wrongful dismissal, labour relations, human rights and privacy issues.
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