The Fair Wages Commission will be in Prince George seeking public input on the proposed $15 per hour minimum wage on Nov. 28.
The commission will hold a public consultation session at the Coast Inn of the North from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Anyone wanting to present to the commission can email FWC@gov.bc.ca to schedule a presentation time.
"I'd like to encourage anyone who earns less than $15 an hour and employers who will be affected by the new minimum wages to share your views with the Fair Wages Commission by email or in person," commission chairperson Marjorie Griffin Cohen said in a press release. "The Fair Wages Commission would also like to hear from employers and workers who can speak to details of minimum wage rates for farm workers, liquor servers, live-in caregivers, resident caretakers and live-in camp leaders."
The Fair Wages Commission is an independent commission struck by the province to advise the government on how and when to increase the B.C. minimum wage to $15 per hour, and a process for regularly reviewing the rate.
The commission has been charged to present its findings to Labour Minister Harry Bains by the end of the year.
Written submissions to the commission can be made until Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. by going online to engage.gov.bc.ca/fairwagescommission/.
The second phase of the commission's work will be to develop a plan to close the gap between B.C.'s minimum wage and the living wage - a wage calculated to allow a family of four to cover its basic expenses with both parents working full time. According to The Living Wage for Families Campaign, the living wage for the North Central Region of B.C. - including Prince George -is $16.39 per hour. The living wage for Victoria is $20.01 per hour and $20.69 per hour in Vancouver, based on the group's calculations.
The Fair Wages Commission will begin public consultations on the second part of its mandate in the spring.
