A Vancouver city councillor’s motion to reinstate a living wage for City employees has been rejected, and the decision has sparked a lot of conversation about affordability and cost of living.
The City of Vancouver’s living wage policy ended in 2023, and OneCity Councillor Christine Boyle hoped to reverse that decision.
Yesterday, Boyle’s proposal was defeated.
During a council meeting on Wednesday, Boyle said workers can’t pay their bills on “vibes and good intentions.”
“Whether it’s a five-year average or a three-year average, it’s clear: janitors, security guards and other City workers will no longer be paid a living wage.”
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“Ken Sim and his ABC team have voted against reinstating our Living Wage policy, leaving 240 direct city employees and many more contract workers earning a wage that doesn’t cover even the most basic costs of living here,” Boyle said in a statement.
The statement added that rejecting the living wage policy in Vancouver is “an embarrassment.”
A press release from OneCity quoted several employees who will be impacted by the end of the City’s living wage policy.
“As a hotel worker and single mom, I know what it’s like to struggle in this city to make ends meet. Workers like me are being driven out of the city because of the affordability crisis. It’s outrageous that Vancouver City Council would vote to end the requirement that all employees and contractors be paid a living wage.”
According to Living Wage for Families BC, in 2023, Metro Vancouver’s living wage climbed to $25.68, an increase of 6.6% compared to 2022. That’s over $8 an hour more than the minimum wage. Based on the year-over-year increase, the living wage is increasing faster than BC’s minimum wage.
The living wage is calculated by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
“They could have thought about the hundreds of city staff and contract workers, mostly security, janitorial, graffiti removal and traffic control workers, whose lives are much harder without a living wage,” Boyle’s statement said.
“Instead, Ken Sim and ABC chose to reject the Living Wage. In doing so, they have demonstrated that they are profoundly out of touch with the serious cost of living challenges working people in this City face every day. Vancouver deserves better.”
What do you think about Boyle’s proposal being rejected?
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