Closing the Gap: A Brief to the Fair Wages Commission -- Living Wage from the British Columbia Teachers' Federation

Wages below the living wage are poverty wages for many households. For decades, teachers have been clear about the damaging impact poverty has on childhood development in particular, as well as on individuals and communities as a whole. Teachers experience first-hand the impact that poverty has on children, how it leaves children more vulnerable in so many respects. Poverty means that some children have fewer chances to reach the full development of their human capacities. If education has the potential to be a great equalizer in society, then the persistence of poverty, especially among children, works to undermine its goals. British Columbia teachers have been proud to support the staged increase in the minimum wage to $15 across the province, in line with the opening recommendations of the Fair Wages Commission. With full implementation of this initial goal just two years away, teachers strongly support further increases to the minimum wage that would close the gap between it and the living wage.