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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html$ D: H+ D* o# V6 C# b2 K" M
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& t& J" g# ~0 N& b' v2 s& d6 e2 c8 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. + U0 ^1 L: _1 x5 U0 A$ s
$ v/ [2 f8 d" K7 ~Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach says the agreement will cut red tape and give the province increased influence and control of immigration. % d( k- o; G: W3 t
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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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Right 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. / L/ i, P5 Q; W; p' U5 g: ?' l9 D
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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. 8 g5 a5 {1 h9 U, u9 g+ b! f& H
& Q" e7 z. n( EIt’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. - Q1 x7 `1 B! m
7 q" K0 T4 r& i8 \* V* E$ ]“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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