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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html
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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. ; f& h1 B) V* p* Y
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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. $ W4 M9 D- u5 d' u' N1 R4 U/ n
& {" r3 s2 x, h" S9 G" tThe 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. - e& S) q( M: [: x R
3 L; T/ S& c, a! A6 o0 e; dFederal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. & U. | g* {4 p, d! z. Y: _
# I! U9 h/ ^6 z( z' t0 ]3 fThe 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.
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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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# u9 A4 D) H% F ?5 `. N“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.” 4 d4 ]5 |3 a: X2 n2 {) }5 Z5 v
. `: d' U: c* A" `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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