It鈥檚 time to put your money where your mouth is 鈥� or as the case may be, where your pet鈥檚 mouth is.
The chatter on the Capital News鈥� social media accounts continually reflects a local interest to see businesses provide a wage that area residents can survive on. Whether it鈥檚 mandated by government or simply the fruits of a successful enterprise seems to be the only point of contention in this 鈥渟unshine tax鈥� beleaguered corner of the world.
Well, someone鈥檚 gone and done it. They鈥檙e offering the wage we鈥檝e all been saying is needed.
In case you鈥檝e missed what I believe to be the most important story this week, Buckerfield鈥檚 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 鈥渓iving wage鈥� 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鈥檚 a significant departure from B.C鈥檚 mandated minimum wage of $11.35 an hour and it offers more people in this valley to live well.
It鈥檚 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鈥檛 you?
It鈥檚 not simply dollars and cents we鈥檙e talking about. This decision says this corporation values and respects its employees and it鈥檚 showing it in the only way it has to offer鈥攆air remuneration.
If they can succeed doing it they will prove definitively that those in this valley who don鈥檛 pay a fair wage, yet seem to live quite well themselves, aren鈥檛 savvy business owners.
They鈥檙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鈥檓 going to offer some shopping advice鈥攈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 鈥� shovels, rakes and general well-being.
