BC Chamber Response to Minimum Wage Increases: 5/4/2016

Vancouver, May 4, 2016 – The BC Chamber of Commerce is voicing concern about the impact that today’s announcement of two larger-than-expected minimum wage increases will have on B.C. businesses.

“There’s no denying that these two minimum wage increases will be tough for some of our 36,000 represented businesses across the province,” said Maureen Kirkbride, BC Chamber Interim CEO. “That said, we appreciate government’s efforts to offset negative impacts on business, notably by decreasing the small business tax to 1.5% in 2017.”

The BC Chamber recognizes that the B.C. government has been clear about its intention to raise B.C.’s minimum wage relative to other Canadian jurisdictions, to match B.C.’s strong recent economic performance. However, going forward, the Chamber urges government to return to tying minimum wage increases to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

“For our businesses, the bottom line is the need for certainty and predictability,” said Kirkbride. “Quite simply, we need to take the politics out of minimum wage increases.”

In 2015, the BC Chamber’s membership passed a policy arguing for the need for predictability in minimum wage increases, and calling for no minimum wage increases beyond those tied to CPI.