P.E.I. minimum wage moves to $8

The minimum wage on P.E.I. went up by 25 cents Wednesday to $8 an hour.

A coalition of groups representing the working poor said while it's a step in the right direction, there is still a long way to go.

Marie Burge, a member of the P.E.I. Working Group for a Livable Income, said Islanders making minimum wage still can't pay for basic necessities of life. "Housing and food and clothing and all of those things — you can't do it on $8 an hour for sure. You can't do it on $10," Burge said.

"The more we talk about minimum, the more we convince ourselves that minimum is good. And we want to have livable income as the guideline."  

 Burge said government, employers and all Islanders have to come up with ways to ensure workers are guaranteed an income level where they can at least support themselves and their families.