Living wages in Kootenay communities spiked in 2024, but they’re still lower than in many other communities in the province.
The living wage is the hourly rate that two parents working full-time must earn to support a family of four, based on the actual costs of living in a specific community. It’s calculated annually by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, BC Office, and Living Wage BC.
High rent is to blame for high living wages throughout the province, according to the report.
“Rent has been the most expensive item in the living wage family budget since the calculation was first produced in 2008, and this year is no exception,” says Iglika Ivanova, senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, BC Office, and the report’s lead author.
Grand Forks has the lowest living wage in the province this year at $20.81 per hour.
The living wage in Nelson is $21.82 per hour, a three per cent increase from last year’s wage of $21.14. In Trail, it’s $22.85 per hour, six per cent higher than it was last year at $21.55.
For communities in the Columbia Valley, the living wage is $22.90, up from 2023’s $22.63.
There’s a striking $10.60 per hour difference between Whistler’s living wage of $28.05 (the highest in the province) and the $17.40 per hour minimum wage set in BC.
“Hundreds of thousands of BC workers earn less than the living wage and face impossible choices like buying groceries or heating the house, keeping up with bills or paying the rent on time,” says Anastasia French, Provincial Manager of Living Wage BC.
“Racialized workers and women are disproportionately affected by low wages in a region where the cost of living keeps climbing.”
Recent Statistics Canada analysis suggests that financial insecurity worsened in the spring of 2024, particularly for young adults and households with children.
The report states that while government programs aimed to provide financial relief were intended to help offset rising costs, they’ve been outpaced by the rising cost of rent.
There are over 450 certified living wage employers across the province, seven of which are located in Nelson and six in Trail. These employers, according to Living Wage BC, have “stepped up to pay both direct and contract employees wages sufficient to support families.”
You can view the full report here.
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