Employers likely had enough notice to prepare for the recently-enacted increase to the minimum wage but are concerned about the pace at which the province is traveling towards the $15-and-hour mark, says Prince George Chamber of Commerce's chief executive officer.
As of Friday, the minimum wage stands at $11.35 an hour and $10.10 for those who serve liquor, a 50-cent increase.
"There was about a year's notice so everyone was able to put it into their budget," Erika Ewacha said Wednesday.
During the last election, the NDP promised a $15 minimum wage by 2021, which Ewacha said is too much, too soon.
"Having such a short turn-around time for such a significant increase, three years, is just really quick," Ewacha said. "And what happens is when the wage increases are too quick or too sudden, they don't have enough time to put into their own budget, it only causes staff layoffs or a cost increase and ultimately it's the customer who pays for this wage increase."
There is a chance the NDP may back away from the promise depending on the recommendations of a fair wages commission. In a press release, Labour Minister Harry Bains said the commission, once up and running, will look at how to get B.C. to a $15 an hour with "regular, measured and predictable increases that businesses can absorb."
According to an April report from a group of advocates, the "living wage" for working parents raising two young children in North Central B.C. is $16.39 per hour based on a 35-hour work week.
"That's why they call it the minimum wage," Iglika Ivanova, an economist at the Canadian Centre for Police Alternatives said. "Right now, the minimum is so low that you're living in poverty basically, if you're earning minimum wage."
