VICTORIA — While minimum wage workers in Ontario celebrate a 75 cent raise, low-income families in British Columbia are facing new costs and the lowest minimum wage in the country, say New Democrats. Raj Chouhan

“British Columbia has the highest cost of living in the country and the lowest minimum wage,” said New Democrat labour critic Raj Chouhan. “And today, the B.C. Liberals are hitting families with higher bills and increased costs.”

While minimum wage workers in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon get an automatic wage boost today, in British Columbia workers are getting higher ferry fares, higher bus fares, higher hydro and gas bills, increased camp fees and no boost in the minimum wage.

“It’s no wonder B.C. has the country’s highest child poverty rate in the country,” said Chouhan. “The B.C. Liberal government continues to hurt families by hitting them with higher costs, fewer services and a stagnant minimum wage.”

The minimum wage in B.C. has been $8 an hour since 2001. Meanwhile minimum wage workers in B.C. have seen their real buying power decrease by 12 per cent since then.

Carole James and the New Democrats are committed to raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour as part of a comprehensive and targeted poverty reduction strategy.

Raj Chouhan

Burnaby-Edmonds

Raj Chouhan was elected as the MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds on May 12, 2005 and was re-elected on May 12, 2009.