The cost of raising a family in British Columbia increased slightly from 2017 to 2018.
According to Deana Ogle with the Living Wage for Families Campaign, if it hadn’t been for reductions in Medical Service Plan premiums and child care costs, the increase would have been higher.
Ogle says, for 2018, living wages were calculated in 9 communities, including Parksville-Qualicum where the living wage is just over 17 dollars an hour…..
Ogle says, in Parksville-Qualicum, the cost of housing went up an average of 173 dollars per month for a three bedroom unit.
The living wage is the amount of money each parent in a family of four has to earn in order to meet their basic needs.
Living wages were also calculated for the Comox Valley where they were the lowest at 16 dollars and 59 cents and in Powell River where they were 15 dollars and 15 cents.
The last time the living wage was calculated in the Cowichan Valley was in 2017 when it was just over 19 dollars an hour.
