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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html
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CALGARY — 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.
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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. # ]- a6 q1 u- Y4 V6 E% R" a% s7 i' e
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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.
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% t3 l" r& }- N& DRight now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program. . t/ @$ E* |. y, N! ?
! S$ ]7 {7 c9 f' EFederal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada.
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The 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.
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% u0 y/ {8 m" |: F0 xIt’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. & E0 c" O) C: s/ e" i' \
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But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers.
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“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said. 5 e+ r- C) k' u" N- j
0 I+ Y, [" q/ {$ b, T: e“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.” % }- m3 u2 B' v& e" G
) n5 i$ o% x: _' F5 D/ C$ w! i! j( N# RStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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