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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html
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' x7 d! b& W- N5 r3 T" _8 q, e# FCALGARY — 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. 2 G9 [ y4 F# M( z( C: M0 k* S" D
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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. . k" w0 O) p9 J' w9 i' Z0 P. f, t
4 Z2 B2 z* Z: a1 PThe 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. : t% a* D2 A$ i; Z \
, z! s& R1 _: o6 P8 E, O1 t, MFederal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada.
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+ P0 |. W' U6 n, ]7 g: QThe 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. , m6 Q7 M" r! O$ i$ p% \
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But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers.
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) t Z8 w/ k0 n8 L8 @“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said. Z" m7 w$ l2 e" k3 q. E
# g9 R3 D/ N/ R$ a. I“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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F; [' O: Z/ h v: aStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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