An independent Fair Wage Commission will be hosting public information sessions across the province for the next several weeks, to hear what British Columbians think of creating a living wage.
A living wage is the minimum hourly pay that a family of four would require to cover basic expenses, like food, rent, clothing, and child care, while also saving a bit for emergencies like illnesses. The wage would depend on the community the worker lives in, in Victoria, the current living wage is $20.50, in Metro Vancouver it's $20.90.
Starting on April 24th, the commission will be talking to BC residents to determine what's the best action the government could take. President of the BC Federation of Labour, Laird Cronk, says the information sessions will be used to find out a combination of things, including determining if establishing a living wage is the best option, or if making life more affordable is ideal.
"Whether we're talking about housing or child care, Parma care programs. Things even like dental coverage for example, transit. So how do you bring that cost down, and also I think they're interested in input in how the wage can come up to meet that, and where in the middle is the harmony for the workers in BC."
Cronk says a middle ground could be found to make life more affordable and create a reasonable standard of living. He says an example of that is creating a 10 dollar a day child care program.
"If, for example, BC fully implement, like widely, the $10-a-day childcare to a full blown program, Metro Vancouver, which is about a $20.90 living wage, would drop about $3.94, to about a $16.96 living wage."
Cronk adds that people may argue it's bad for business owners to pay more money to their employees, but he disagrees, saying there's multiple reasons why it would actually be beneficial.
"The government receives taxes that they can use for public services, which is in the best interest of the society. The workers are not relying on public services, because they are sharing equitably in the profits of their employer. They are happier, they are more productive. There is attraction-retention issues that are resolved. You have a community where they have spending power, and that community and the businesses in that community are going to benefit from that."
The Commission will be hosting public hearings on these dates:
* April 24 - Nanaimo
* May 1 - Surrey
* May 6 - Abbotsford
* May 13 - Prince George
* May 15 - Kelowna
* May 22 - Cranbrook
* May 24 - Vancouver
* May 31 - Victoria
If you can't attend a session in person, a video conference call can be arranged. The Commission is also taking suggestions online, which can be sent to this email FWC@gov.bc.ca
Input from the public is due by May 31st. The commission will then take the information and create a set of recommendations that they will present to the Provincial Government.