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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html. o) N9 ]6 F/ {# @" }. r/ O# d
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, l' Z! y$ b+ M8 R5 Q7 c' _+ a( aCALGARY — 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. % ~! V6 i/ D& Y6 H- k' {7 v
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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.
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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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/ ^2 U$ T) `0 W5 a. @1 r' Z' AFederal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. ! K- Z0 m8 d- m: q
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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. ; a8 C* g9 z! g& {& B! g; m
* E4 e2 \' N B$ E; kIt’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.
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0 T: g2 h' ^( p“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.” % K7 h7 C# t" |% n: X9 u
& k+ y% ?/ ^0 b0 g3 g& a( {3 U- {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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