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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.
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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. 7 g% y$ z0 f/ b" u7 d
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Right now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program. 9 ^) O0 d$ E k* u( Q
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Federal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. 7 Q! w& x6 e4 k& H$ Y
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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. ]3 o+ V4 Y# V" }/ ~' E
- c" L$ p- } IIt’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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4 ^- k E; f5 s) {But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. 7 K4 e8 b2 e' t- @" O
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“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said.
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' b x! b0 c) V, j0 m' b& |“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.” / r7 O* M3 D C! [
: u# H% t/ ]8 q2 u3 z# @) i* ~0 rStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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