By Order In Council, the Lieutenant Governor has ordered that the Employment Standards Regulation, B.C. Reg. 396/95 be amended with effect from September 15, 2015 to increase the minimum wage payable in the Province. The current minimum wage of $10.25 per hour will increase to $10.45 per hour, representing an increase of approximately 2%. This is the first increase in the minimum wage in BC since 2011.
Employees who are liquor servers will also receive a 20 cent rise in the minimum wage, with their minimum wage rates increasing from $9.00 per hour to $9.20 per hour.
As a result of these changes, employers subject to the Employment Standards Act who currently pay minimum wage will need to update their payroll systems to implement the higher rates from September 15, 2015 forward.
A copy of the Order In Council is available here.