B.C.'s minimum wage has risen 20 cents to $10.45 an hour, the first annual increase since the the provincial government tied it to the B.C. consumer price index.

It's the first increase since 2012, when the wage was increased to $10.25. For restaurant and pub servers, the minimum wage rises from $9 to $9.20. Jobs Minister Shirley Bond has said the discount from the general minimum wage will remain at $1.25 to account for income earned in tips.

Piece rates for seasonal piece workers also receive proportional increases, as do day rates paid to live-in camp counsellors and residential caretakers at apartment buildings.

NDP labour critic Shane Simpson called the increase "dismal" and "paltry." B.C. Federation of Labour president Irene Lanzinger said by the end of 2015, B.C. will have the second lowest minimum wage in Canada.

"Seattle will reach $15 an hour by 2017, Alberta by 2018," Lanzinger said. "B.C.'s minimum wage will reach $15 per hour by 2034."