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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html
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( ]" ]/ i. a6 ?, G. sCALGARY — 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. - h5 p4 N6 M; q! ] S
+ p$ ~0 P* ~; O2 b) UAlberta Premier Ed Stelmach says the agreement will cut red tape and give the province increased influence and control of immigration. 4 z8 o: M* [+ M+ Z
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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. $ @7 N* ]5 V1 r2 }" \
6 w, _6 L3 A2 {9 K; ^% c! D+ N6 GRight now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program. 5 I; A, T, W Q
0 g. f* T2 Q/ z, K3 rFederal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. 2 [" D! O1 h, U: c% b; T1 S1 L
" t/ b! m; C6 v; w VThe 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. 3 S+ Z' y( ^2 e. J; e, b
- e1 s/ m; }$ F( _1 g5 _: y% L! jIt’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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8 M7 x% g2 J: j [9 IBut 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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“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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1 O, |& S: N2 V- i7 h3 s3 eStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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