The most livable city is starting to seem a little less livable. As of today, Alberta’s minimum wage now exceeds British Columbia’s by 40 cents an hour. Considering that when I lived in Calgary in 2002, the minimum wage was $5.90, this is a big leap for Alberta. Then again, maybe all minimum wage increases seem like major “progress” when living in the province whose base rate has not budged since 2001. New rates in Ontario also continue to outpace British Columbia’s. In fact, Ontario currently has a plan in place to implement a minimum wage of $10.25 by 2010.
The need for a higher minimum wage in Ontario is understandable, as Toronto remains Canada’s most expensive city to live in. Similar arguments can be made for Alberta, where the recent oil boom has driven up the cost of living. However, Vancouver’s costs still exceed Calgary’s, remaining the second most expensive city in Canada. What’s more is that the average annual household expenditures in Vancouver were nearly $11000 more than those in Winnipeg for 2006. Yet, as of today, Manitoba’s minimum wage is $8.50.
It is clear that British Columbia is falling behind in ensuring livable wages for its citizenry. Regrettably, this great failure is just another in a series of government-led inadequacies which are leaving the province’s poorest members in positions of vulnerability. This prompts only one question: Where are our elected officials on this, and what initiatives have they decided are more important than fostering the well-being of their electorate? All I know is, when Albertan governmental policy is more progressive than our own, something is wrong.
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