The Inflationary Arms Race

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Gina Johnson Kiran Shergill

Caleb Campbell Nadia Tudhope

Alyssa Rot

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Volume 31 · Issue 9 & 10 Room S2111 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529

The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It originated under its current name in 1993, and achieved autonomy from the university and the Student Union Society in 2002. This means that The Cascade is a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published in an entirely student-run setting. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds, and is overseen by the Cascade Journalism Society Board, a body run by a student majority. The Cascade is published every other Wednesday with a print circulation of 800 and is distributed at Abbotsford, Chilliwack (CEP), Clearbrook, and Mission UFV campuses and throughout the surrounding communities.

The Cascade is open to written, photo, and design work from all students; these can come in the form of a pitch to an editor, or an assignment from an editor. Pitch meetings will be digital for the remainder of the semester. Please email managing@ufvcascade.ca to be put on the assignment email list.

In order to be published in the newspaper, all work must first be approved by The Cascade’s editor-in-chief, copy editor, and corresponding section editor. The Cascade reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length. The Cascade will not print any articles that contain racist, sexist, homophobic, or libellous content. Letters to the editor, while held to the same standard, are unedited, and should be under 200 words. As The Cascade is an autonomous student publication, opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of UFV, The Cascade’s staff and collective, or associated members.

The Cascade is published on the traditional, unceded territory of the Stó:lō peoples. We are grateful to be able to work and learn on this beautiful land.

On June 1, the provincial government raised its minimum wage to $16.75. In just eight years, B.C. went from having one of the lowest minimum wages, at $10.25 per hour in 2015, to one of the highest. The increase is… contentious. Minimum wage workers are happy to see a pay bump, while businesses fret over increased costs. The extra cash should, in theory, go straight back into the economy, but where and how it’s spent matters. If instead of going to the local café, it goes into Shein’s deep pockets, then it’s just another expense for local businesses to incur — and ultimately pass onto consumers. Restaurants have been especially hard hit. The ones who survived the COVID-19 lockdowns by hastily contracting with food delivery services; investing in personal protective equipment; installing plexiglass barriers; erecting ramshackle outdoor dining spaces; operating at reduced volume; fighting for limited takeout supplies; and desperately trying to conjure up willing employees. Even before this wage bump, small businesses had already taken on a number of new costs, like employer-paid sick days, increased WorkSafeBC premiums, a new employer

2.....SUS plans for fall health tax, and a new provincial holiday. Anyone who can’t understand the concerns of small business owners should take a moment and try.

Of course, inflation hits the people on the bottom rung the hardest. The B.C. Liberal government showcased just how poor a strategy it is to leave the minimum wage stagnant for a decade — but we must have a serious conversation about what the goal really is. According to Living Wage for Families BC, a living wage for Metro Vancouver is now $24.08 per hour. That’s a far cry from the new minimum of $16.75 — a $7.33 discrepancy. In 2019, when the minimum wage was $12.65 or $13.85 (depending on when you measured it), the living wage was $19.50. The gap is not shrinking — it’s

If you work full time at minimum wage and lease a one-bedroom apartment in Abbotsford, nearly two-thirds of your take-home pay is going towards rent. Between 2015 and 2019, rental prices increased by an average of 34 per cent. A onebedroom unit that was $1,245 in 2020 is $1,499 today. It’s no wonder that tipping culture has completely blown up — we’ve turned the service sector into an industry of panhandlers — and who can blame them?

The businesses that survive will adapt. Some will use new AI; others will offshore because remote work from home can also be done from Bangladesh. Grocers and oil giants will keep gouging their customers. Workers above the minimum will advocate for more cash too — especially unions and employees who’ve seen a surging wage gradually subsume years of raises and promotions. Meanwhile, those on the margins will go on in a Gatsby-esque delusion — believing “in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther… And one fine morning —”

SPORTS

14.....B.C. Lions season preview

2.....Boardwalk Cafe & Games

3.....News Briefs

4.....Victoria

14-15.....B.C. Lions undefeated

15.....F1: Mercedes making moves

CULTURE

16.....A Conversation with author, Taleen Voskuni

17.....Jurassic Quest comes to Abbotsford

18.....Exhibit spotlight: The Big Tiny

5-6.....Bisexual

18.....Cooking up funds for aid to Nepal

19.....The Cascade Kitchen : Coconut Matcha Chia Pudding

20.....Study Break

ARTS

21.....Streaming: Yellowjackets

21.....Streaming: The Ultimatum: Queer Love

22.....Soundbites: Red Wine Supernova

22-23.....Streaming: Ted Lasso

23.....Music: Stick Season — deluxe edition