The 2017 Living Wage in North Central BC is $16.39 an hour.

That’s a decrease of $0.13 from the 2016 figure of $16.52.

Living Wage for Families Campaign Organizer Deanna Ogle says many families are struggling with two categories.

“So we see that child care in the region rose by $42.50 a month where rent in Prince George was up $54 a month.”

The wage is what two working parents with two children must earn in order to cover expenses like food and transportation.

The increase in expenses is 3.38% which is higher than BC’s inflation rate of 2.3%.

Currently, there are just two places in North Central BC that are offering its employees a living wage.

“We have Integris Credit Union who pays all their direct and contract service workers a living wage and we also have the City of Quesnel which was only the second municipality in Canada to offer a living wage to its employees,” says Ogle.

Our region was one of nine in the province to experience a decline in the living wage.

The North Central region includes Prince George, Quesnel, and Vanderhoof.