Recommendations

Implement the ABC model as the legal test for determining employee status, reverse the onus of proof so workers are considered employees unless the employer can prove otherwise, and eliminate exemptions and carve-outs to the Employment Standards Act.

Ensure that employers provide all full and part-time workers with extended health benefits.

Annualize the earnings exemption for those accessing income assistance and raise it above the poverty line.

Remove the Annualized Earning Exemption (AEE) for those accessing disability assistance in full. 

Provide an additional five days of employer-paid sick days per year for caregiving responsibilities related to dependents’ and other family members’ sickness and care needs.

Provide priority access to $10-a-Day child care to parents accessing income and disability assistance, particularly those in the expected-to-work (ETW) category.

Close the gap between the minimum wage and the Living Wage: raise BC’s minimum wage to $20 per hour now with scheduled increases up to the Living Wage to ensure all work in BC lifts families out of poverty.