A Living Wage Campaign has been a priority this year of the Comox Valley Social Planning Society.
Living wage refers to basic costs for a family of two parents and two children, ages four and seven.
“The living wage this year was $15.97 an hour,” society vice-president Betty Tate said Monday in a presentation to Courtenay council.
The society will be inviting councils and employers to become a living wage employer.
“We think there’s lots of employers in the Comox Valley who are living wage employers, but they’re not being advertised as such.”
The CVSPS has been meeting with other social planning groups on the Island.
“There’s a whole shift that’s happening in terms of more development of social planning,” Tate said. “We all have similar issues.”
The society is hosting a local social planning workshop Nov. 7.
•Council appointed Will Cole-Hamilton, David Frisch, Doug Hillian and Wendy Morin to sit on the regional district board for its next term from Nov. 5 to November 2020. Mayor Bob Wells chaired the CVRD board for the past term. He and Couns. Manno Theos and Melanie McCollum will serve as alternate directors for the next term. The inaugural CVRD board meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
•Council approved two resolutions from McCollum to write a letter to the Union of B.C. Municipalities executive to express strong support of two resolutions that were not considered at this year’s convention:
1. Safer Drug Supply to Save Lives: In an effort to save lives and reduce harm due to an unpredictable and toxic drug supply, the Province work with communities, health authorities and others to ensure access to safer alternatives for people at risk of overdose.
2. Observed Inhalation Sites for Overdose Prevention: The Province fund and work through partners to provide services as part of an holistic response to the public health emergency declared in B.C. in April, 2016.