It乌鸦传媒檚 time to put your money where your mouth is 乌鸦传媒� or as the case may be, where your pet乌鸦传媒檚 mouth is.
The chatter on the Capital News乌鸦传媒� social media accounts continually reflects a local interest to see businesses provide a wage that area residents can survive on. Whether it乌鸦传媒檚 mandated by government or simply the fruits of a successful enterprise seems to be the only point of contention in this 乌鸦传媒渟unshine tax乌鸦传媒� beleaguered corner of the world.
Well, someone乌鸦传媒檚 gone and done it. They乌鸦传媒檙e offering the wage we乌鸦传媒檝e all been saying is needed.
In case you乌鸦传媒檝e missed what I believe to be the most important story this week, Buckerfield乌鸦传媒檚 announced that as of Sept. 2, all of its full-time staff at eight stores on Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, Okanagan and Shuswap will be paid according to a 乌鸦传媒渓iving wage乌鸦传媒� scale.
A living wage being the standard of pay based on actual living costs in a given region. Around here, according to the Central Okanagan Regional District,that was $18.42 as of 2014.
It乌鸦传媒檚 a significant departure from B.C乌鸦传媒檚 mandated minimum wage of $11.35 an hour and it offers more people in this valley to live well.
It乌鸦传媒檚 yet to be seen whether it will be tenable, but I suspect it is, especially if we all decided to support it.
And why wouldn乌鸦传媒檛 you?
It乌鸦传媒檚 not simply dollars and cents we乌鸦传媒檙e talking about. This decision says this corporation values and respects its employees and it乌鸦传媒檚 showing it in the only way it has to offer乌鸦传媒攆air remuneration.
If they can succeed doing it they will prove definitively that those in this valley who don乌鸦传媒檛 pay a fair wage, yet seem to live quite well themselves, aren乌鸦传媒檛 savvy business owners.
They乌鸦传媒檙e failing to show respect to the very people who ensure they are able to make ends meet and why should we, as consumers, respect that?
So, for the first and likely only time of my career I乌鸦传媒檓 going to offer some shopping advice乌鸦传媒攈ead to the store that offers you more than the goods that get rung through on the till.
Spend your dollars in a way that proves you respect your neighbours and see value in the work they do. Maybe, it will come back in spades 乌鸦传媒� shovels, rakes and general well-being.
