A phased approach is a good approach as the province’s minimum is set to go up to $15.20/hr in 2021.
Charlene Harrison is the President of the Williams Lake and District Chamber of Commerce.
“It gives the business time to budget, and get that in place, and not have big surprises,” she says.
“You need to know going forward what your future plans are going to be and labor costs are a big part of that.”
Harrison points out that a lot of businesses in the Cariboo already pay above minimum wage, and that she does not believe there will be much pushback being that the $15/hr wage will be implemented over a period of time.
BC’s minimum wage will increase each June until it reaches $15 in 2021.
The first increase this June will see the minimum wage going up by $1.30.