VANCOUVER, B.C.– Green Park Board Commissioner Tom Digby is bringing a motion to have the Park Board re-certified as a living wage employer.

“The Mayor and ABC Councilors revoked our Living Wage certification city wide in 2023.  They replaced the living wage, currently $25.68 per hour in Metro Vancouver, with a below living wage of $20.90 per hour.  It’s outrageous that the City is taking out its fiscal woes on those least able to afford it,” said Digby.

“One estimate is that it would cost $60,000 per year to implement the Living Wage at Park Board,” he added.

The Living Wage is a standardized calculation done annually by the Living Wage for Families Campaign (link) and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. It is the hourly amount that each of two parents, both working full time, need to earn in order to afford basic expenses like food, clothing, rent, and child care once government taxes, credits, deductions, and subsidies are taken into account. It is a barebones budget that does not include debt repayment or savings for future plans.

Digby and the independent Commissioners Brennan Bastyovanszky (Chair), Laura Christensen, and Scott Jensen have agreed to work together to collaborate as a majority, and to provide competent and thoughtful leadership for the people of Vancouver.  His motion will be heard at the April 8 Park Board meeting.

-30-

Related Motion:  Affirmation of Park Board as Living Wage Employer