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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html; Z* l) Q# g2 O* X: a
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, w, W. _0 _) i3 M [; Y; H/ I0 HCALGARY — 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. 7 E* c0 X5 y [- B# Y9 q
2 }" V- H4 L: n3 ^5 q( AAlberta Premier Ed Stelmach says the agreement will cut red tape and give the province increased influence and control of immigration. " J$ Z# ~1 y' X8 a
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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. 5 O% s1 x: {. O
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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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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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5 j& f/ u6 X* wIt’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. ( Q6 s% w& E8 {
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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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“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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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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