A Vancouver city councillor is proposing a motion to reestablish Vancouver as a living wage employer.
In 2017, the city became certified as a living wage employer, but the policy ended in 2023.
Now, OneCity Councillor Christine Boyle hopes to reverse that decision, which the BC Federation of Labour called “appalling,” with a motion she is bringing forward.
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As Daily Hive reported in March 2023, the council voted to end the living wage policy in a private meeting several months after Ken Sim was elected mayor.
The City confirmed this, telling Daily Hive that “the living wage rate for Metro Vancouver set by Living Wage for Families BC (LWFBC) increased 17.35% or to $24.08 per hour for 2023.”
The latest from LWFBC suggests that the living wage in Metro Vancouver is now $25.68.
“This is difficult to administer in large organizations, particularly those with multi-year collective agreements like the City,” the City said.
The 2017 policy enactment meant that everyone working for the City of Vancouver would earn a living wage, which meant a family of two adults could work full-time to cover rent, groceries, transportation, and some basic leisure activities.
It covered working-class civic employees like cleaners and security guards.
“It says that anyone who works for the City of Vancouver deserves to live here, raise their children here, and contribute to the life of the community without needing to rely on a food bank or a second full-time job,” said Boyle.
Boyle says the 2023 closed-door meeting decision to end the policy was met by opposition from workers and organized labour.
“In a cost of living crisis, as the price of housing and food continues to climb, cutting the pay of some of the City’s lowest-wage workers is absolutely unacceptable,” Boyle added in a statement.
You can see a list of living wage employers in the region here.
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