industries

Infographic: A $15 minimum wage? Vancouver vs. other cities

By Trevor Melanson /

RESTAURANT STUDY
1-2%: Rise in operating costs with a 10% increase to the minimum wage*
0.7%: The typical price increase observed following a 10% bump. Other industries saw no change*
*According to a 2014 study by University of California, Berkeley, professors

West Coast cities weigh the benefits of a $15 minimum wage

While B.C.’s minimum wage will see a bump this fall, increasing to $10.45 from $10.25, not everyone thinks the changes (the minimum wage is now indexed to inflation and increases every September) are enough to make B.C., and particularly Vancouver, an affordable place to live. Indeed, some argue that Vancouver should set its own, city-based minimum wage—an idea not without precedent.