Employment Standards: Alberta's minimum wage to rise to $7.00 an hour

Edmonton... Alberta's minimum wage will increase to $7.00 per hour from $5.90 per hour. This is an increase of nearly 20 per cent. Employers and other Albertans will be consulted regarding the implementation of the new minimum wage and will have the opportunity to recommend whether the increase should be introduced all at once or in stages. "Now is the right time to raise Alberta's minimum wage. Alberta's economy is strong and can sustain the increase," said Human Resources and Employment Minister Mike Cardinal. "The provincial government wants to ensure all Albertans benefit from the Alberta Advantage, including minimum wage earners." The government's intention to raise minimum wage was first announced in Premier Klein's February 8 televised address. Many indicators point to the strength of Alberta's economy. In the past five years, average hourly wages have increased by almost 18%, the Consumer Price Index has increased by 18.5%, and the Gross Domestic Product has increased by 22%. "In deciding the new rate, government has struck a balance between the needs of workers and employers," added Cardinal. "$7.00 an hour is a rate that will work for businesses and for people." Less than one per cent of Alberta employees, or about 11,000 people, currently earn minimum wage. Alberta's minimum wage was last raised in 1998-1999, in three stages over a 12-month period. Affected stakeholders and other interested Albertans can provide feedback, beginning February 24, on whether Alberta's new minimum wage should be introduced all at once or in stages at: www.gov.ab.ca/hre/employmentstandards.

Maybe he needs to move to Germany

Taxi! Find me a date - and step on it.

The 50-year-old Egyptian immigrant sets up blind dates for his single passengers through a free, impromptu matchmaking service he runs out of his yellow cab. He said he finds mates, or at least dates, for about eight people a week. "New York is a very tough city for dating," Ibrahim mused while driving through the West Village recently. "I have heard a lot of crying in this cab, a lot of fighting and a lot of broken hearts.

The joys of legalised prostitution

So, what core competencies does a recruiter look for? Prostitute Sees Sex Trade Hope for Jobless, "Why shouldn't they send the unemployed to work in the sex industry? Before it was a gray zone, but now employees are insured and receive benefits," Luft told Reuters. "People would no longer be unemployed and could earn themselves a living." If you don't take a job as a prostitute, we can stop your benefits. Under Germany's welfare reforms, any woman under 55 who has been out of work for more than a year can be forced to take an available job – including in the sex industry – or lose her unemployment benefit. Last month German unemployment rose for the 11th consecutive month to 4.5 million, taking the number out of work to its highest since reunification in 1990.