Minimum wage increasing in British Columbia starting June 1st

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The minimum wage in British Columbia is set to increase for the first time in a year. 

Effective June 1st, the provincial minimum wage will increase from $17.85 to $18.25 per hour, according to a February 26th release from the Government of British Columbia.  

“Working people in our province are feeling the pressure of inflation,” said Jennifer Whiteside, B.C.’s 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. 

Trevor Bolin, a Fort St. John city councillor and business owner, said increasing minimum wage causes other costs to increase.

“The tough thing about an increase in minimum wage, especially when you are one of the country’s highest provinces for a set minimum wage, is that all the other costs associated with living increase at the same time,” he said. 

According to the Retail Council of Canada, British Columbia has the third-highest minimum wage in the country, behind Nunavut at $19.75 per hour and the Yukon at $17.94 an hour, as of October 1st, 2025.

The Government of British Columbia said the increase applies to specialized minimum wages, including those for resident caretakers, live-in home-support workers, live-in camp leaders, and piece-rate agricultural workers. 

It also applies to the minimum wage established in September 2024 for app-based ride-hailing and delivery service workers. Effective June 1st, the minimum wage for these workers will increase to $21.89 per hour.

According to the Government of B.C., the province had the lowest minimum wage in 2011 at $8 an hour. 

The province says the average hourly wage growth in the province has grown nearly 26 per cent in the last five years, from $30 an hour to $38 per hour. 

The February 26th release said most minimum age workers consist of young adults, women and racialized workers in retail, food services and care industries.

Since 2011, the province’s minimum wage has increased 13 times prior to June 1st, 2026.