B.C.’s lowest-paid workers will see a pay raise this summer.

The provincial government says the general minimum wage will increase from $17.85 an hour to $18.25 an hour beginning on June 1st.

“Working people in our province are feeling the pressure of inflation,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Labour.

“That’s why we acted to bring in annual minimum-wage increases, which have helped paycheques keep up with increasing costs of essentials like food and transportation. This matters for everyone, and especially for minimum-wage workers, the people doing the jobs so many of us rely on every day.”

The annual adjustment is tied to the province’s average inflation rate from the previous year.

In 2025, B.C.’s average monthly inflation rate was just over 2.1 percent.

The government says linking increases to inflation helps paycheques keep up with rising costs for essentials like food and transportation.

The June 1st increase applies to the general minimum wage, along with several specialized wage categories.

That includes resident caretakers, live-in home-support workers, live-in camp leaders and piece-rate agricultural workers.

The increase also applies to the special minimum wage for app-based ride-hailing and delivery-service workers, which was established in September 2024.

As of June 1st, 2026, that rate will be 21.89 an hour for engaged time.

Minimum piece rates for hand-harvested crops will increase by the same percentage on December 31st, 2026.

Since 2017, the province has introduced gradual increases to the minimum wage.

In 2024, those increases were protected in law and automatically tied to the previous year’s inflation rate, replacing a system where increases were less predictable.

Between 2002 and 2010, there were no minimum-wage increases in B.C., and there were also no increases in 2013 or 2014.

In 2011, B.C. had the lowest minimum wage in Canada at 8 dollars an hour. Now, BC has the highest minimum wage among all Canadian provinces.

As of February, Nunavut has the highest minimum wage overall at $19.75 an hour, while Alberta has the lowest among provinces at 15 dollars an hour.

Over the past five years, the province says the average hourly wage in B.C. has grown by nearly 26 percent, rising from just over 30 dollars an hour to nearly 38 dollars an hour.

To learn more, visit Government of British Columbia.