Legal Research

A Living Wage Policy at City Hall

By Michael Lines

Esquimalt may join New Westminster in adopting a living wage policy for all employees. That would make it only the second municipality in the country to take the step.

The Tyee story linked above, outlines how it was not an easy sell in New West., but in the end has been a popular choice. Councellor Jaime McEvoy says municipalities pay their executives well, and always look carefully at the salaries for councilors and mayors, but

It’s only for the group of people at the bottom that we don’t worry about what they’re making or how they’re doing.

The living wage in Esquimalt is $17.30, as calculated by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. UVic’s own Professor Tim Richards is a co-author of the 2008 CCPA Report that developed the idea: Working for a Living Wage: Making Paid Work Meet Basic Family Needs in Vancouver and Victoria. The CCPA also has a calculator that other municipalities can use to determine their own local living wage, updated for 2010.

Full post as published by Slaw.ca on October 01, 2010 (boomark / email).