Vancouver/CMEDIA: In pace with inflation, British Columbia (B.C.)’s lowest-paid workers will reportedly get a wage increase to $18.25 per hour on June 1, 2026,
“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.”
Types of wages affected by the 2026 increase
The increase taking effect on June 1 applies to the general minimum wage as well as 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, 2026, 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, 2026.
Among Canada’s highest minimum wages
Regular, gradual increases to the minimum wage have been made by B.C. since 2017, to provide certainty and predictability to workers and businesses.
B.C. has the highest minimum wage among all Canadian provinces.
Why increases happen automatically each year
For nine consecutive years between 2002 and 2010, or in 2013 or 2014, there were no minimum-wage increases in B.C.
In 2011, B.C.’s minimum wage was the lowest in Canada, at just $8 per hour. Increases during this period did not follow a predictable schedule.
The minimum wage increase was alongside broader wage growth in the province with the average hourly wage in B.C. has grown by nearly 26% over the past five years, increasing from just over $30 an hour to nearly $38.
This is the reason that the government legislated predictable minimum-wage increases tied to inflation, replacing the past approach where workers sometimes went years without an increase.
