The Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre conducted an online survey earlier this year of all staff working in centre-based child care programs in Vancouver to collect data on wages and benefits of educators and administrators. One result from the 627 completed surveys (92% female respondents) found the median hourly wage MORE
The Living Wage for Families Campaign is hiring a Research Coordinator for a participatory action research project on the impacts of low wages on individuals and families. This is a part-time role at 3 days (21 hours) per week, for the duration of the three-year project. Deadline for applications is Sunday October MORE
Times Colonist: Victoria council backs campaign for ‘living wage’ StarMetro Vancouver: Ontario’s cancellation of basic income pilot is seen as a setback by B.C. proponents Vancouver Sun: Abbotsford anti-gang program to lose funding as kids head back to school Vancouver Sun: Judy Darcy: Overdose emergency: Unprecedented crisis demands unprecedented action StarMetro Vancouver: Peer-led overdose response MORE
JOB POSTING: LIVING WAGE CAMPAIGN ORGANIZER Full time position (35 hours/week), including evening and weekend work, as necessary Location: First Call office, downtown Vancouver Click here to download .pdf of the posting. First Call is a dynamic, non-partisan coalition of over 100 provincial and regional partner organizations in British Columbia MORE
According to Working for a Living Wage 2018, published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ BC office, First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition and the Living Wage for Families Campaign, $20.91 hourly wage is needed to cover the costs of raising a family in Metro Vancouver, up from $20.61 MORE
Policy Note: Mobility pricing: An idea whose time has come? CCPA: BC government decision to continue excluding farm workers from minimum wage protection very disappointing CBC News: Province says new legislation will keep Indigenous communities involved in children’s welfare Yukon News: Yukon delegation visits First Nations-led child welfare agencies in B.C. StarMetro Vancouver: For B.C.’s MORE
The Living Wage for Families Campaign is supporting cleaners at Capilano University with a petition calling on all stakeholders at Capilano U to adopt a Living Wage & Benefits Policy for all direct and contracted workers on campus. The website quotes: “Poverty is a serious issues affecting families in the Metro Vancouver area MORE
On February 8, Premier John Horgan announced that BC will incrementally increase the provincial minimum wage each June until reaching $15.20 by June 2021. The first step will be $12.65 in June 2018, followed by $13.85 in June 2019 and $14.60 in June 2020. First Call’s submission to the Commission called MORE
Surrey Now-Leader: An ongoing struggle with poverty CBC News: High school graduation rates up for Indigenous, special needs students Huffpost: Discriminating against the poor is illegal, should change CBC News: JJ Bean gives Ontario minimum wage to staff because it’s the right thing to do CBC News: Free daycare for low income families announced for MORE
Cori Ramsay, speaking about her own experiences with poverty, speaks to the need for a living wage for the poorest in our societies. Recorded at TEDxUNBC in Prince George, BC. View the video here. Learn more about the Living Wage for Families campaign here.
First Call has made a robust submission to the Fair Wage Commission regarding the 2017 BC Child Poverty Report Card, recommendation 1, which states that the provincial government should raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour and index it annually to the cost of living and ensure all workers MORE
The Living Wage for Families Campaign has released a new video featuring One Stop Shop Cards and Games owner Andrea Robertson. “It’s about fairness,” said Andrea Robertson, co-owner of One Stop Shop Cards and Games. “How can we ask our employees to support and represent our family business if we MORE
The Tyee: Employers clash on timeline for $15 minimum wage CBC News: Shelter for women leaving abuse in Kitimat runs out of space Times Colonist: Seeking an end to violence against women and girls Global News: BC judge who erred in law put ministry under fire CBC Radio Unreserved: Elementary school students rewriting the TRC’s MORE
Data in the First Call 2017 BC Child Poverty Report Card, released November 21, highlights how growing income inequality among BC families has one in five, or 18.3%, of our children living in poverty. Other key findings from the 2015 data include: This represents 153,300 children under age 18, a decrease MORE
Data in the 2017 BC Child Poverty Report Card, released today by First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition, highlights the income inequality that leaves far too many British Columbia families struggling to cover basic living expenses. One in five of our children still lives in poverty. Using the MORE