May
05
2011
SCC
Issues
The Surrey Civic Coalition supports the concept of a Living Wage policy for the city of Surrey. SCC elected officials on council and the Board of Education will work with other stakeholders to make this policy a reality.
Living wage bylaws ensure workers directly employed or contracted to work for a municipal government be paid a wage that enables them to comfortably meet their basic needs. This market-based rate is meant to reflect the actual income required for working families.
This year, the New Westminster City Council unanimously passed a motion mandating that anyone working on city property receive a living wage. The city of Esquimalt is also close to adopting a living wage policy. Other BC municipal governments studying the concept include Williams Lake and Cowichan.
SCC Councillor Bob Bose brought a motion to Surrey Council to study the concept of a Living Wage, which passed unanimously.