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Minimum wage rising to $18.25 on June 1
B.C.’s minimum wage will increase to $18.25 per hour on June 1.
The same increase applies to specialized minimum wages, such as the rates for resident caretakers, live-in home-support workers, live-in camp leaders and piece-rate agricultural workers.
The increase also applies to the special minimum wage for app-based ride-hailing and delivery-service workers, established in September 2024. Effective June 1, the minimum wage for app-based ride-hailing and delivery service workers is $21.89 per hour of engaged time.
Minimum piece rates for hand-harvested crops will increase by the same percentage on Dec. 31.
“Working people in our province are feeling the pressure of inflation,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Labour. “That’s why we acted to bring in annual minimum-wage increases, which have helped paycheques keep up with increasing costs of essentials like food and transportation. This matters for everyone, and especially for minimum-wage workers, the people doing the jobs so many of us rely on every day.”
Since 2017, B.C. has made regular, gradual increases to the minimum wage to give workers certainty and to give businesses predictability, a Ministry of Labour media release said.
In 2024, minimum-wage increases were protected in law, with the amount automatically tied to the previous year’s inflation. Over time, these changes have moved B.C. from near the bottom to among the highest minimum wages in the country.
Nunavut has the highest minimum wage in Canada, at $19.75, while Alberta has the lowest at $15 (as of February 2026).
The minimum wage has increased alongside broader wage growth in the province. Over the past five years, the average hourly wage in B.C. has grown by nearly 26%, increasing from just over $30 an hour to nearly $38.
In B.C., many of those who earn minimum wage are young adults, women, and racialized workers who work in retail, food services and care industries, the Labour Ministry noted.
Women make up of the majority of minimum-wage earners.
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