British Columbia’s general minimum wage will increase to $18.25 per hour on June 1, but advocates said it still falls short of a living wage in much of the province.
The 2.1 per cent increase is based on B.C.’s average monthly inflation rate in 2025.
The same percentage increase applies to resident caretakers, live-in home-support workers, live-in camp leaders and app-based ride-hailing and delivery service workers.
The province said minimum agricultural piece-rate wages for the hand harvesting of specified crops will increase by just over 2.1 per cent on Dec. 31. The difference in timing means producers will not need to adjust wages in the middle of the harvesting season.
B.C.’s minimum wage has increased each year since 2015, when it was $10.45.
The province said about more than 141,000 employees in B.C. earned the minimum wage or less in 2025.
A new report by B.C. Policy Solutions said gap between the minimum wage and the estimated living wage in B.C.
The organization defines a living wage as “the hourly rate that a full time worker must earn to cover essential expenses, avoid chronic financial stress and participate in the social, civic and cultural life of their community.”
The report based on data from Statistics Canada found about one in three workers earned less than the living wage in B.C.’s eight largest cities.
It said the living wage ranges from $23.15 in Prince George to $27.85 in Metro Vancouver.
The organization estimates the average living wage outside of the top eight city centres is $21.50.
BC Policy Solutions said raising B.C.’s minimum wage to $20 per hour would help narrow the gap.
