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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html
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: m! o9 i% o7 n. G: eCALGARY — 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.
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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. / W+ Z9 U' w. v+ D
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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. ! ~, E1 L- z9 g0 i$ `
" {$ |. W( ]. VRight now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program. : q: x4 X3 C) T j: z m" e
0 A/ P* j5 R+ q7 k% i& i' z: f& n! n5 \Federal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. $ s8 p1 F1 M$ r6 W: c& A
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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. ( @0 y- b1 A! q- V L3 M* B
6 \% u5 L( O, ?2 p3 WIt’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. - s. H( @& d c; L5 a
8 \1 ~5 G/ v7 m+ Q8 F2 |" h8 O' UBut 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.
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+ b! X! ^9 [% E9 i q4 E/ |“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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