B.C.'s minimum wage will rise to $18.25 on June 1

The provincial government announced the general minimum wage will increase by $0.40 from $17.85 to $18.25 per hour effective June 1, a 2.2% rise tied to 2025 inflation and the 2024 Employment Standards Act.

The provincial government has announced a small increase to British Columbia's general minimum wage, set to take effect on June 1. The raise is described as a response to inflation and follows a 2024 change to the Employment Standards Act that made annual increases mandatory. Officials said the adjustment is meant to help lower-paid workers keep pace with rising costs. The government reported average monthly inflation in 2025 at just over 2.1 percent. Key details: - The general minimum wage will rise by $0.40, from $17.85 to $18.25 per hour on June 1, representing a 2.2% increase. - The increase is tied to inflation under the 2024 Employment Standards Act changes; the province reported average monthly inflation in 2025 at about 2.1%. - Rates for residential caretakers, live-in home-support workers, camp leaders, piece-rate agricultural workers, and app-based ride-hailing and delivery workers will also be adjusted. - The province reports that gig workers' engaged-time rate (time from accepting a delivery or trip to completion) will increase to $21.89 per hour. - Minimum piece rates for hand-harvested crops are scheduled to increase by the same percentage on Dec. 31, 2026. Summary: The change continues B.C.'s pattern of regular, inflation-linked minimum-wage adjustments and is presented as a measure to help paycheques keep pace with costs. Metro Vancouver's living wage was reported at $27.85 per hour in 2025, leaving a gap between the living wage and the new minimum. The next scheduled statutory adjustment noted in the announcements is the piece-rate increase on Dec. 31, 2026.