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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html3 c3 U- C6 Q% { z, T
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7 `# ^) v3 T, gCALGARY — 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. 0 A& K8 R3 `. a, @/ [; `
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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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3 l1 t: @* [7 J7 J5 S R; H }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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Right now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program. . S( A) H1 `: m& V. K
; W/ y+ N. P* ]- l1 @. T4 U9 HFederal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada.
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( N0 P) e" I: C, j2 N, ~- z0 Y$ M+ n' 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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It’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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- W3 I( U+ H' _& Y; rBut Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. 7 q. ^' \% W0 g: c, w6 i# f
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“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said.
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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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Stelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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