Living wages matter for everyone in the school community

By Anastasia French, Managing Director, Living Wage BC

As teachers, you witness daily the impact of economic hardship on students. You see the child who comes to class hungry because there was no breakfast, or the teenager anxious about their family’s risk of eviction. These are not isolated incidents; they reflect a deeper problem: too many parents and caregivers are not earning enough to provide a stable, secure life for their children.

If we truly want to support student success and foster strong school communities, we must start with a simple but powerful idea: every worker connected to our schools deserves to earn a living wage.

A living wage is the hourly amount someone needs to earn to afford the essentials like housing, food, transportation, childcare, and other basic needs, based on the actual cost of living in their community. It’s not about luxuries or saving for the future; it’s about dignity and being able to meet fundamental needs.

In British Columbia, the minimum wage is currently $17.85 per hour, but this falls short of what most people need to survive in many parts of the province. Research shows that the living wage varies widely across BC, from $20.81 in Grand Forks to $28.09 in Whistler. In Metro Vancouver, one of the most expensive regions in Canada, the living wage is $27.05 per hour—over $9 more than the minimum wage.

This gap means many workers, including those who support our schools in vital ways, don’t earn enough to cover basic costs. More than 740,000 people in BC earn less than the living wage. In Metro Vancouver alone, nearly 37% of employees earn less than the living wage. Among them, 57% are women and 66% are racialized workers. Nearly half of all racialized women in the region earn below the living wage threshold. This isn’t just an economic issue; it’s a matter of gender and racial justice.

Image and data from Living Wage BC: livingwagebc.ca/living_wage_rates

Many of these workers are part of our school communities—custodians who keep classrooms safe and clean, cafeteria workers who provide meals to hungry students, bus drivers who safely transport children, and education assistants who support learning. These roles are sometimes invisible but essential. Schools simply cannot function without these dedicated workers. These are not “low skill” jobs; they require professionalism, reliability, and care.

Public institutions like school boards should be leading the way by setting an example, ensuring that all workers, whether directly employed or contracted, are paid enough to live with dignity. But only two of BC’s 60 school districts, New Westminster (SD 40) and Qualicum (SD 69), are certified Living Wage Employers.

Even more concerning, the Vancouver School Board recently abandoned its commitment to paying a living wage. This decision sends a discouraging message to the very workers who keep our schools functioning and safe. It undermines the values of equity and community that schools should embody and adds financial strain on families already struggling in one of Canada’s most expensive cities.

“In Metro Vancouver alone, nearly 37% of employees earn less than the living wage. Among them, 57% are women and 66% are racialized workers.”

This has real consequences for students. For example, one Vancouver school bus driver, whose pay was cut by $4 an hour, shared how he drives children with autism to school who rely on consistency and familiar faces. Staff turnover caused by pay cuts will disrupt those vital relationships, creating additional challenges for students who need stability.

Low wages don’t just affect workers; they also affect students and families. Many low-wage jobs come with unpredictable hours, often nights or weekends. Parents working these shifts find it hard to attend school meetings, help with homework, or maintain consistent home routines. This disconnect weakens the vital link between families and schools and affects student learning and engagement.

When people are not paid enough to live on, they face impossible choices. They skip meals or medications to pay rent. They stay in unsafe housing or take on multiple jobs just to scrape by. The stress of living paycheque to paycheque takes a toll on mental and physical health, placing additional pressure on our already stretched health care system. For children, poverty can result in reduced concentration, chronic absenteeism, and lower academic performance. The ripple effects are profound and far reaching.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

BC has the tools to bridge the gap between the minimum wage and a true living wage. A co-ordinated approach that addresses both wages and the cost of living is necessary. The provincial government could lead the way by becoming a certified Living Wage Employer. This would mean ensuring that all public-sector employees, direct staff, as well as those working for contractors or publicly funded organizations like school boards, earn enough to meet their basic needs.

At the same time, we must address the affordability crisis that’s driving up living costs across the province. This means investing in affordable housing, so workers don’t spend half or more of their income on rent. Expanding $10-a-day childcare across the province would help parents afford to work. Improving public transit, especially in rural and suburban areas, would reduce dependence on costly car ownership. Providing free school meals for all children and supporting local food systems would stabilize food prices and back BC farmers.

These aren’t lofty or distant goals. They are immediate necessities. Every day we delay action, more British Columbians are forced to make heartbreaking choices. More children go to school hungry. More families slide further into poverty. More front-line workers burn out from jobs that leave them exhausted and underpaid.

We can eliminate working poverty in British Columbia. But it will take political courage, a commitment to justice, and solidarity across all sectors.

As teachers, you understand what it means to be underpaid, overworked, and undervalued. You’ve marched for fair wages, fought for smaller class sizes, and demanded respect for your profession. Let’s extend that solidarity to every worker in the school community.

Let’s build a BC where every worker, especially those who support our schools, can afford to live with dignity.