"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.

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.

Close the gap between minimum wage and what workers need to live with dignity

Joint oped by Anastasia French and Iglika Ivanova 

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.

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

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)

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.

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.

Living Wage for Families is evolving into Living Wage BC

This rebrand is a major step in our journey to ensure that every worker in British Columbia can thrive, not just survive.

80 Employers call on party leaders to take action to close wage gaps

On International Equal Pay Day, a coalition of 80 small business owners, non-profit directors, and senior HR leaders are urging party leaders to use their platforms to implement policies to close pay gaps.
In an open letter addressed to all party leaders, the group, which employ thousands of workers in BC, provide a series of recommendations on actions the next government should take to close the wage gap, by lifting pay and lowering costs.