Kelowna 
British Columbia’s minimum wage is set to rise again next year, continuing the province’s policy of linking increases to inflation.
Starting June 1, 2026, the general minimum wage will move from $17.85 to $18.25 per hour. The adjustment reflects B.C.’s average monthly inflation rate in 2025, which was just over 2.1 per cent.
Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside said the annual increases are intended to help workers manage higher costs for essentials such as food and transportation. The province formalized automatic, inflation-based adjustments in 2024.
The June increase applies beyond the general rate. Specialized categories — including resident caretakers, live-in home-support workers, live-in camp leaders and piece-rate agricultural workers — will see the same percentage change. App-based ride-hailing and delivery workers, covered under a special wage introduced in September 2024, will earn $21.89 per hour of engaged time as of June 1, 2026. Minimum piece rates for hand-harvested crops will also rise, effective Dec. 31, 2026.
The province notes that between 2002 and 2010 there were no minimum-wage increases, and none in 2013 or 2014. In 2011, B.C.’s rate stood at $8 per hour, the lowest in Canada at the time. Since 2017, the government has implemented gradual increases, moving B.C. to the highest minimum wage among provinces.
Over the past five years, average hourly wages in B.C. have climbed nearly 26 per cent, from just over $30 to almost $38 per hour.
Across Canada, rates vary. Ontario’s minimum wage is $17.60 until September 2026. Nova Scotia’s is $16.50, Prince Edward Island will reach $17.00 on April 1, 2026, New Brunswick will move to $15.90, and Newfoundland and Labrador to $16.35.
Currently, Nunavut has the highest minimum wage in Canada, at $19.75, while Alberta has the lowest at $15.
The federal minimum wage is set at $17.75 per hour and is also adjusted each April based on inflation data from Statistics Canada.
