The province's minimum wage will increase in September by $0.20.
On Thursday morning, Jobs Minister Shirley Bond announced the hourly starting wage would go up from the current $10.25 to $10.45, and increase every year based on the previous year's B.C. Consumer Price Index (CPI).
The last raise to the province's minimum wage came in 2011. To arrive at the 2015 increase, Bond said the CPI of the past three years was examined and the new figure reflects what increases would have taken place if the minimum wage was indexed during that time frame.
In studying the minimum wage issue, Bond said B.C. was the only province that took an ad hoc approach to its increase and didn't have a system or formula in place.
"We think that that is a measure that has merit, it is directly related to British Columbia," said Bond.
The government is making the change with small business owners in mind, said Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of State for Tourism and Small Business.
"We're very concerned about imposing costs on businesses that could directly reduce their ability to train or hire more workers," Yamamoto said, adding that consultation with small business owners suggested an approach to wage increases had to be predictable.
The annual increase to the minimum wage will be announced every March, giving business owners six months before the increase comes into effect in September.
