Trail’s living wage up 6% as cost of living continues to soar

The living wage for Trail has increased to $22.85 per hour, a 6% change over last year.

The living wage is the hourly rate that each of two parents working full-time must earn to support a family of four based on the actual costs of living in a particular community. It is different from the minimum wage, which is $17.40 province-wide.

Living Wage BC released the 2024 living wages yesterday. (Read their news release and full report here.)  Although inflation has decreased from historic highs, cost increases for essentials continue to push up the living wage, which the Skills Centre calculates in collaboration with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, BC Office and Living Wage BC.

“The living wage affords a decent, but modest, standard of living without the extras many of us take for granted. It does not cover credit card, loan or other debt payments, savings for retirement or for children’s future education or the costs of caring for a disabled, seriously ill or elderly family member,” says Heather Glenn-Dergousoff, project specialist – poverty reduction at the Skills Centre.

Housing and food costs in particular continue to soar. The financial relief provided by government measures–such as affordable childcare programs and increases in benefits connected to income–was intended to help offset rising costs, but is outpaced by the rising cost of rent.

“Rent has been the most expensive item in the living wage family budget since the calculation was first produced, and this year is no exception,” says Iglika Ivanova, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, BC Office senior economist and the report’s lead author.

“Hundreds of thousands of BC workers earn less than the living wage and face impossible choices like buy groceries or heat the house, keep up with bills or pay the rent on time.” says Anastasia French, provincial manager of Living Wage BC. “Racialized workers and women are disproportionately affected by low wages in a region where the cost of living keeps climbing.”

Last year, Trail’s living wage was up only 2% to $21.55.

“We will continue to advocate for government to address these issues to make life more affordable for everyone, and to make it easier for employers to pay their workers a living wage,” Glenn-Dergousoff says.

Other living wage calculations for 2024 in the Kootenay-Boundary region include:

The Skills Centre is one of 450 certified living wage employers in BC that has stepped up to pay direct and contract employees wages sufficient to support families. The Skills Centre is a non-profit strengthening rural and industrial communities and workplaces in BC through workforce skills development, training services, social development and poverty reduction programming.