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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html' P% `- j$ V/ z
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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.
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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. : `9 P& G" n! n, l$ U- N" s7 E0 m! K
3 R" K( F$ t9 x6 uThe rise to 25,000 immigrant workers per year will happen over the next 10 years under the provincial nominee program. 3 Q3 B3 h. n q$ P) `( _& [
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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.
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4 F3 h! s8 l5 C8 E2 N# H& o- S; ]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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) \& {! P7 w0 MIt’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. + ~1 n G& y" Y; O, ]
, Z/ u2 c! D8 o+ j2 Q' \But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers.
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4 c+ ~$ ?: `8 [ f- W! B“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said.
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6 L! J, M- C1 ^+ S: q# k“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.” * B$ L `" h! Y# l
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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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