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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html
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. u1 V* {' g7 H5 yCALGARY — 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. + _; m& n% o# k! l7 P
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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) k3 S ~( ]" T0 r
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Right now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program. * H4 t! Y$ m# u! N# i( K0 o
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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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9 [+ v8 p( e! Z# aThe 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. ( q' _& O. S8 k. `8 O) {7 H# j
t% X; j* G, q5 m7 `3 YIt’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. * l& N2 O$ }6 _! l$ O- c* T
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But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. ; [+ R5 c8 a* p. N8 ^4 @1 r- x
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“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said.
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/ q) e `, r: I+ E! ]# T$ N6 |“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.” ' m0 ?2 V6 Z- \# f: v- d% f4 M
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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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