The living wage in Trail has risen to $22.85 per hour, marking a six per cent increase from last year, as the cost of essentials like housing and food continues to climb.
The living wage reflects the hourly income needed by two full-time working parents to support a family of four, covering basic expenses such as rent, groceries, and childcare.
Heather Glenn-Dergousoff, a project specialist at the Skills Centre in Trail, emphasized that the living wage does not include many expenses people consider necessary for financial security.
“The living wage affords a decent, but modest, standard of living without the extras many of us take for granted,” Glenn-Dergousoff explains. “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.”
Last year, Trail’s living wage was up only two per cent 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,” adds Glenn-Dergousoff.
Other 2024 living wage rates in the Kootenay-Boundary region reflect similar challenges: Grand Forks: $20.81; Nelson: $21.82; Revelstoke: $25.50; Columbia Valley: $22.90; and Golden: $26.96.
Unlike B.C.’s $17.40 minimum wage, the living wage aims to provide a modest but dignified standard of living without accommodating debt payments, savings, or costs associated with caregiving.
The 2024 figures, released by Living Wage BC last week, highlight a persistent struggle for families across the province.
Despite inflation slowing from its peak, rising rents and food costs outpace government measures like affordable childcare programs and increased income benefits.
Rent remains the most significant expense in the living wage calculation, a trend noted since the initiative’s inception.
Iglika Ivanova, senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and lead author of the report, confirmed this year is no exception.
Another voice in the conversation is Anastastia French, provincial manager of Living Wage BC.
“Hundreds of thousands of B.C. 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 French. “Racialized workers and women are disproportionately affected by low wages in a region where the cost of living keeps climbing.”
The Skills Centre, a Trail-based organization that calculates the local living wage in partnership with Living Wage BC, advocates for systemic changes to address affordability challenges
