Living Wage in BC (image credit - CCPA)

By Michael Reeve

LIVING WAGE

Kamloops sees second largest jump for ‘Living Wage’ in B.C.

Nov 8, 2023 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — A 9.2 per cent increase, to $20.91 per hour for the living wage in Kamloops is the second highest jump in the province behind only Nanaimo. The key factors in the increase are rent and groceries.

“The idea behind it is that paid work should provide a decent standard of living,” said Iglika Ivanova, senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). “If you are working full time, you shouldn’t have to stop by at the food bank on the way home from work. And unfortunately, that is what’s happening across the province. We are see increases in working poverty. We are seeing massive increases in food bank use.”

The living wage, calculated for two working parents and a family of four, only covers the basic necessities of life.

“It still is based on a pretty bare-bones budget, though,” stressed Ivanova. “It does not include a number of expenses that a lot of people take for granted, like paying off any debts, like student loans or car loans. It doesn’t include savings for retirement, it does not include owning a home.”

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While Kamloops is catching up with the rest of the province, the living wage in the Tournament Capital is still the third lowest of the 19 communities analyzed by the CCPA.

“There is a big gap, a striking gap between the minimum wage and the living wage. In Kamloops, it is over $4 an hour. The reality is that many people earn less than the living wage. If you live in that space between the minimum wage and the living wage, what you are facing is having to make some very tough choices,” Ivanova told CFJC News.

In an additional report, B.C. ranked as the most expensive province to call home in Canada. But it was stated that the labour market cannot solve the issue alone.

“We are not going to solve the affordability crisis without getting a handle on runaway rents. We can’t be seeing this year-to-year increased in rent. It’s not sustainable,” added Ivanova.

Inflation in British Columbia fell in September after finally stabilizing from the highs of the pandemic. That’s lead to some hope that the living wage could also hold steady moving forward.

“What gives me hope is that governments at all levels are starting to become more serious to address the housing crisis, we’re seeing more policies being rolled out. It’s still not enough — we still want to see more — but it’s a good thing,” said Ivanova. “Federally, we are looking at food prices.”