The B.C. government announced plans to provide temporary pandemic pay to health and social service workers delivering in-person, frontline care in the province, but it does not include workers in other sectors that have been required to remain open and serve the public – namely those working in grocery stores, banks and transit.
In a CBC story, B.C. Finance Minister Carole James says that the government knows the situation is difficult for many workers and is “pleased to see private sector employers, such as grocery stores, are stepping up to provide pay increases for their workers.”
On May 19, the B.C government made the official announcement about the program that will let more than 250,000 eligible workers receive payment of $4 per hour for a 16-week period with the entire amount being given in one lump sum.
