221A is pleased to announce its recertification with Living Wages BC for the eighth year in a row.
Defined as an hourly earnings needed to “cover basic expenses,” the living wage in Metro Vancouver has risen to $27.05 per hour, a 5.3% increase from 2023—highlighting the region’s deepening affordability crisis fuelled by soaring housing costs.
Beyond providing a living wage, 221A supports its team with policies that affect 2SLGBTQIA+ and parents. This includes offering bereavement leave for extended or chosen family, as well as an EI top-up program that brings salaries back to 100% for anyone taking emergency or parental leave—which surpasses the recommendations of unions.
More recently, 221A has offered childcare as part of its Fellowship programming and the Board approved 221A to match staff RRSP contributions of staff who have been with the organization for two years or more.
The 221A Employee Handbook, which outlines these policies, was built on the existing work of CUPE union, Cultural Human Resources Council, and—in the words of 221A Associate Director Afuwa—other “collective intelligence.” For 221A Tenant, Or Gallery, an artist-run centre located in Chinatown, 221A’s Employee Handbook acted as a framework to develop its first staff policy handbook.
“The first Or Gallery Employee Handbook came to fruition through many meaningful sessions,” says Director, Jenn Jackson. “A number of items within the original draft were supported in reference to the diligence and hard work of 221A’s Staff Policy document—for that we extend a huge thank you!”
“Paying a living wage isn’t without its challenges,” says Afuwa. “But as a nonprofit, we need to act in ways that reflect our values in community—and our community includes our staff.”