File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

Living Wage

Kamloops has the second-lowest living wage in B.C.: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Nov 17, 2022 | 10:45 AM

KAMLOOPS — The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), in partnership with Living Wage for Families B.C. has released its 2022 living wage calculations for B.C. communities and Kamloops comes in near the bottom.

That means it takes two Kamloops parents a lower hourly wage to support a family of four than it does in most other B.C. cities.

The CCPA says the living wage in Kamloops for 2022 is $19.14 per hour. The only one of 22 reporting communities to show a lower living wage is Fraser Valley at $18.98 per hour.

The living wage has increased all across the province, thanks to the rising costs of both food and housing.

“The living wage for Kamloops that we have calculated for this year is $19.14 an hour, which is a 14 per cent increase from last year’s living wage. There is two things that are really driving that increase, the cost of food and the cost of living, which are the two biggest essentials in a family’s budget. So, they are the two things that you can’t really cut back on,” said Anastasia French, Provincial Manager for Living Wage B.C.

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The cost of rent while high in Kamloops, is still lower than many neighbouring communities. That allows the living wage to be more than $3 an hour lower than Kelowna and more than $5 less than Vancouver.

Thankfully government investments have helped offset some increases.

“The living wage would be far higher if it wasn’t for government investment in child care. There is several things that government has done in recent years to really help support families with children. What we want them to do know is look at how they can do to help lower the cost of housing because that effects everyone, whether you’re a single person without kids or a family of four,” added French.

Due to the recent government investments in childcare the living wage gap between families, single parents, and single people has changed.

“Because of the recent investments in child care the living wage is now pretty comparable for a single person without children as it is for a two parent family with two kids. But, that $19.14 is not enough for a full-time single parent to get by on. It needs to be higher than that,” stated French.

The highest living wage in B.C. is in Haida Gwaii at $25.87 per hour.

For the first time, the living wage in Victoria ($24.29) has eclipsed Metro Vancouver ($24.08), largely thanks to the higher cost of food on Vancouver Island.

Read the full report: