Three commissioners named to plan minimum wage increase to $15 in BC
Posted October 5, 2017 1:18 pm.
Last Updated October 5, 2017 1:39 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – British Columbia’s labour minister has appointed an economist to lead a commission to advise the government on boosting the province’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Prof. Marjorie Griffin Cohen of Simon Fraser University will chair the Fair Wage Commission, which also includes Ken Peacock, vice-president at the Business Council of British Columbia, and Ivan Limpright, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.
The commission is expected to deliver a report with a timeline to raise the minimum wage within 90 days of its first meeting.
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The New Democrats had previously set a deadline of 2021 to raise the minimum wage but Bains says that will now be up to the commission to determine.
Bains says the commission has also been asked to report on closing the gap between the minimum and living wage, which varies between communities.
The commission has a budget of $490,000 over two years, which will largely fund travel and consultations.