(File image: CFJC Today)

By Dylana Kneeshaw

MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE

Kamloops Chamber members concerned with timing of minimum wage increase

Jun 1, 2020 | 5:00 PM

KAMLOOPS — The third of four planned minimum wage increases for B.C’s lowest-paid workers kicked in around the province today (June 1).

The minimum wage increased by 75 cents, from $13.85 to $14.60. Liquor servers also saw their rates go up by nearly 10 per cent, while resident caretakers and live-in camp leaders got a 5.4 per cent pay boost.

In Kamloops, the local Chamber of Commerce says many business owners are supportive of the wage increase for their employees, but are concerned with the timing of its implementation.

Kamloops Chamber Executive Director Acacia Pangilinan says B.C Chamber networks had requested that the province enact a six-month delay to the minimum wage increase. They’d hope it would give more time for businesses to get back on their feet after COVID-19 closures.

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“We want people to earn the money that they’re worth, and we want to see that wage increase over time. But we need it to be done in a smart way that businesses can afford,” said Pangilinan.

According to Pangilinan, extra costs could mean some businesses will be unable to re-open or bring back staff that were laid off during the full pandemic closure.

“Introducing it now during COVID is really just setting businesses up for failure. Because now this is an extra cost for them,” she explains. “So there’s an understanding that we want people to make more money, and during COVID-19 times, the government has said this is a way for us to put more money into people’s pockets, but there won’t be jobs for those people to even earn that wage if businesses can’t open.”

Today’s increase is the third part in a four-step plan to have B.C’s minimum wage brought to $15 an hour by 2021.