Alberta minimum wage still lowest in Canada despite rise

Alberta has the lowest minimum wage in the country despite Mondays increase to $9.75 an hour, according to Public Interest Alberta.

Data from Statistics Canada released by the advocacy group on Friday shows that just one in five Albertans make less than $15 an hour. Executive director Bill Moore-Kilgannon says the province also has the widest wage gap in Canada..

"We're seeing that low wage workers are struggling just to keep pace with the high cost of living here in Alberta," he said.

Moore-Kilgannon is calling on the Redford government to come up with solutions to close the income gap between the rich and poor.

Pamela Spurvey says that people need a hand to get out of poverty. She is a single mother who had to make tough choices in orderto make ends meet.

"Am I gonna pay my utilities, or am I going to buy food for my family?" she said. "Which is it going to be this month?"

Now an anti-poverty advocate who earns what she considers a living wage, Spurvey believes that the government needs to do more so more people can follow her footsteps.

"You can't expect the public and charities to do everything," she said. "The government has to step up to the plate."