We have certified 13 New Living Wage Employers across BC!   Over 300 direct employees, and countless contracted workers will now not need to worry about how they will pay rent and food for their families because their employer has guaranteed to pay them a Living Wage.   Continue reading

Living Wage BC publishes a new report into food unaffordability in BC. 1 in 5 people in BC are going hungry, and the problem is getting worse. It's hitting hardest where people can least afford it, with the burden falling disproportionately on Indigenous, Black, disabled, and rural communities. In our new Food for Thought report, we explore why food is getting more expensive, what the impact is, and what can be done about it. We spoke with key individuals and organisations responsible for putting food on the table along every step of the food chain, from farmers to food banks and met with nearly 50 low wage workers and heard their concerns and feedback on being able to afford food for themselves and their families. Continue reading

"It's really hard right now" We recently hosted “kitchen table discussions” with 50 low wage workers. Over a shared meal, we heard their stories, what’s going on in their lives and what they need from government support. The common theme? Life is tough, and they need more help. Continue reading

Top 5 Takeaways from BC Living Wage Employers in 2025 Being a certified Living Wage Employer in British Columbia is more than a label, it’s a long-term commitment to values, fairness, and the wellbeing of workers. As part of our engagement with certified employers across the province, we gathered feedback to better understand their experiences, challenges, and ideas for the future.Here are the top five lessons from what we heard. Continue reading

Close the gap between minimum wage and what workers need to live with dignity Joint oped by Anastasia French and Iglika Ivanova  Continue reading

Letter to the Premier  Last week, we sent a letter to Premier Eby and some of his cabinet, urging them to incorporate Living Wage provisions into new procurement directives. Continue reading

"We're incredibly disappointed to hear that the Vancouver School Board will stop being a Living Wage Employer. Continue reading

Bailey's budget must unite, not divide An article by Anastasia French (Living Wage BC), Rowan Burdge (Poverty Reduction Coalition) and Véronique Sioufi (BC Policy Solutions) Continue reading

Our achievements this year We are a very small program (with currently only one staff member), but with a network of hundreds of very passionate employers, advocates, labour partners and community champions, we managed to achieve far more than we could on our own. Continue reading

Soaring cost of living—especially for housing—causes living wages to increase across BC The 2024 living wage for Metro Vancouver has risen to $27.05 per hour, a 5.3% increase from last year. This significant increase highlights the region’s deepening affordability crisis fuelled by sky-high housing costs. Living wages are also going up across the province as our new report shows. While inflation has eased from record highs, essential costs like rent and food continue to rise faster than general inflation. Government initiatives such as increases to key income-tested government benefits, ongoing child care affordability improvements and the roll-out of the Canadian Dental Care Plan have provided some relief. The savings, however, have been entirely consumed by soaring prices—especially for housing and food—leaving many households struggling to make ends meet. Continue reading