Members of the Poverty Action Partnership of Haldimand and Norfolk have mixed feelings about the provincial government’s plan to hike the minimum wage from $11.40 to $15 an hour by 2019.

Increasing the minimum wage is a “double-edged sword” when it comes to reducing poverty, says Janice Warrell, a community support worker with Haldimand and Norfolk Social Services.

On the plus side, Warrell said, it will mean more money for low-income workers to pay their bills.

“But then I thought, here we go, we’re perpetuating poverty. We’re giving you $15 an hour, but we’re not giving you a living wage,” she said.