A sobering report about how income in Canadian provinces compares to the US reveals how far BC wages lag behind most of North America.
The report comes from the Fraser Institute, and one of its key findings was that Canadian provinces are becoming financially poorer than their US peers.
Median earnings were analyzed between 2010 to 2022.
“By 2022, all ten Canadian provinces ranked in the bottom ten positions for earnings per person.”
Alberta was the only Canadian province that even appeared in the top half of all 60 analyzed jurisdictions.
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“British Columbians should want to know why workers in states such as Washington
and Mississippi make more money than workers here at home,” said Alex Whalen, a senior policy analyst at the Fraser Institute and co-author of the report.
“British Columbian workers earn less compared to American workers, regardless of
the state.”
In 2010, BC had the dubious distinction of having the fifth-lowest median earnings ($30,069) among all Canadian provinces and US states. Since then, the BC government has made some strides in increasing that, including increasing the minimum wage so much that it is now the highest in Canada. Despite the minimum wage increase, it still falls short of a living wage.
Between 2010 and 2022, BC’s median earnings per person increased by $7,732, the highest jump of all the provinces.
(All the numbers in the report and this story are stated in Canadian dollars).
In 2022, BC was ranked ninth-last for median wages in North America ($37,801). The only province with higher median earnings was Alberta ($38,969).
“Compared to neighbouring Washington, median employment earnings were
$11,311 (or 23%) lower in BC,” the report states.
“In light of the close connection between incomes and living standards, policymakers
in BC should make economic growth a top priority,” Whalen added.
The Fraser Institute report isn’t the only place we’re seeing comparisons between BC and other parts of the world.
BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau recently discussed the province’s spending and the little residents see in terms of returns.
Furstenau said that, given the spending, BC residents should have “all the nice things.”
“I want all the nice things.”
I ran into the head of a business association who attended the @BoardofTrade event today featuring the three #bcpoli leaders.
He wouldn’t stop talking about @SoniaFurstenau’s speech and urged me to watch it.
So I did.
Here’s a clip. pic.twitter.com/yKEknyTq22— Mo Amir 🪬 (@vancolour) October 3, 2024
We also published a story last month based on a report from the CCPA-BC about how expensive housing is leading to a wealth disparity in BC and also eroding the province’s economy.