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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html
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! F! Y6 j: o- C: D' C1 w# S6 g! eCALGARY — An agreement between Alberta and the federal government will allow 25,000 foreign workers per year to come to the province to aid in its worker shortage. 2 }5 N! R8 q0 J
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Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach says the agreement will cut red tape and give the province increased influence and control of immigration.
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The rise to 25,000 immigrant workers per year will happen over the next 10 years under the provincial nominee program. $ n+ x3 s8 g$ J3 N
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Right now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program. 0 _. T+ b5 I5 N* {: T( B
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Federal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada.
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# `: V/ @/ L) n2 e* @# {8 C- ?6 EThe pact gives Alberta the power to nominate more immigrants possessing skills needed in the province and also provides more resources to help them settle here. 1 s4 \ L+ T x
; v1 Q$ \6 |% P9 i7 X% EIt’s a step in the right direction in breaking down time-consuming, frustrating barriers facing immigrants seeking to ply their skills here, said Fariboz Birjandian, chairman of the Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies. ' m2 E4 J$ q0 O6 c$ W/ M6 n; u
7 @! A2 A7 |+ o: wBut Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers.
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/ }" p1 } t& h1 `+ I! U“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said. " l4 G' C) y- J* L. k: E" K
( E" B& T! v7 f$ t“And we don’t want Calgary becoming a city where all the rich people live on one side and all the poor on the other.”
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7 b8 l) G# M0 F; I* c$ |8 Z5 ?' aStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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