Vancouver, BC, 20 January 2026 

Tomorrow (21 January 2026), Vancouver councillors will debate a motion for the City of Vancouver to rejoin as a Living Wage Employer.  

Ahead of the vote, Anastasia French, Managing Director, Living Wage BC issued the following statement:  

“It’s vital that anyone working on behalf of the City of Vancouver can afford to live in Vancouver. We hope that councillors will take this opportunity to make up for past mistakes and vote to pay all direct staff and contractors a Living Wage.  

There are hundreds of city workers and contractors – doing vital work like cleaning, stacking shelves in the library and, keeping us safe as security guards – that are not guaranteed an income that means they can pay for rent, food, and other essentials. 

We’re grateful for the hundreds of employers across BC, including the Cities of Burnaby, Port Coquitlam and Victoria, that have committed to pay their staff the actual Living Wage. These employers have found that paying the living wage is good for workers, good for business and good for the local community. We hope that the City of Vancouver will vote to rejoin them again said Anastasia French 

The Living Wage is the hourly wage that an individual working full-time need to pay for rent, food and other essentials. It is a barebones calculation that does not include debt repayment or savings for retirement.  

Background 

• Certifying as a Living Wage Employer is a voluntary commitment employers make to invest in their communities and local economies. Organizations can certify as a Living Wage Employer if they commit to ensuring their direct staff and contracted workers earn a Living Wage. The living wage can be made up of base wage and other benefits they offer.  

• There are over 500 Living Wage Employers across BC including YVR Airport, Vancity Credit Union and Modo. 9 municipalities are also certified Living Wage Employers – the District of Central Saanich, Village of Fruitvale the Cities of Burnaby, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Quesnel and Victoria.   

• The City of Vancouver became a Living Wage Employer in 2017.  

• In 2023 the councillors voted to move away from paying the living wage and to pay a “fair wage” instead. This “fair wage” is a rolling average of the living wage from 5 years ago.  

Find a briefing on the Living Wage at City of Vancouver here.

About Living Wage BC: 
Living Wage BC certifies employers that pay a living wage to their staff and contractors. They also advocate for complementary government policies that would help families make ends meet and work with BC Policy Solutions to annually calculate the Living Wage for communities across BC. 

Living Wage BC is a program of Vancity Community Foundation. 

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For more information, please contact: 

Anastasia French, Managing Director, Living Wage BC 

[email protected] 

236-558-2635