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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html& s8 g* |# W# H2 e; x
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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.
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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. 3 ?7 L9 u. {1 a8 h1 n' ]
5 ~- x9 f# ?0 x" T7 ]# ^- z5 WRight now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program.
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5 U" y' N/ P% F o5 V tFederal 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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7 ^$ s! q, X+ N0 }1 a% Z9 d N3 PIt’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. % |/ b2 {8 h5 `; ~; q9 L* N) o" I; \
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But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. % T- t8 r/ M) @( Q4 K5 B
+ Q7 ~5 W6 p+ I* t6 V“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said. 6 S1 H6 g6 F3 P3 E! i. A
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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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