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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html8 n+ o: Y/ [# W& F# W' B' [
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' ~4 A, ^6 I/ E0 T7 X2 ICALGARY — 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. 8 n D: g$ U; W. J0 `
7 a& f, b! C7 b3 _Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach says the agreement will cut red tape and give the province increased influence and control of immigration. ) B% b5 U& A- y$ T( u' Q5 ^
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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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: s% w4 d9 R, `$ PFederal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada.
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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.
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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. & I6 A1 Z8 [ t% x9 i
6 @8 m% k* k' e/ dBut Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. 9 b- F. o# K$ u [+ k* u+ s
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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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' g. k) x3 \9 J# @- iStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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