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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. 8 r3 P2 m! y4 t8 b4 H5 S
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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. + H* s( m+ S& Q% K3 M
3 A9 e8 r6 i; Y4 q4 E+ d Q4 HThe rise to 25,000 immigrant workers per year will happen over the next 10 years under the provincial nominee program. ' Q; }' M+ z, T8 U! e3 i9 y
I; R2 ]- F' [* T3 c4 oRight now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program.
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Federal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. ! x; @4 |: y( U! n/ L' E; |& H$ z; f# q
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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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5 ^# e6 ~7 w1 Y9 c: FIt’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.
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But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. - g% P: p# l& o, g7 F4 ~
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“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said. ! i0 ]( ~, V% H; H4 @4 r1 W
1 N2 o7 Y# B/ y9 |! X' u2 ~) O5 V“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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8 u4 P J" c3 n3 WStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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