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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. ( C! ^( Y4 h1 e; R& g
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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. ( c2 v& Q7 Q+ i4 d" O$ l( z8 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.
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Right now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program.
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. Q5 c$ P$ k6 V, [Federal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. ' F% k+ V3 l5 O: B, U: W1 z& d
# d& \9 v% k' C% E' ^6 D2 uThe 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. / F7 w% L% d/ O7 n( n/ l3 z
) Q1 p9 ]9 P4 }4 l( U* b6 `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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But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers.
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“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said. g2 V0 i1 c0 N6 [$ N+ B* {
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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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- g: U+ I4 B1 q6 k+ JStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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