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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html
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( I- i% H& R Y; }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. 1 k; t" S$ ?5 b
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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. 0 |) l5 \# {, i9 r
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Right now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program. 4 [) j3 F1 ?* U+ O& M" E! ]
) X4 i8 F# d& e9 xFederal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada.
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' T% H8 i5 m rThe 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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$ ?9 d& n; Q! \1 E, T1 C4 sIt’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. 9 d* B+ o8 U7 q6 X, |. y
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But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers.
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( Q* i2 y: i+ W1 a/ z \3 ?“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said. # `( j* d; G1 ]/ a
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“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 K3 m# I6 \& [4 v3 t# PStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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