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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html, w+ \* t: M2 s' S+ v. Y% O
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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. , j( n; b$ |' `' S
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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. N. }1 r; Q+ ?* R- I
2 n5 A# b$ R& k3 e" Y5 SThe rise to 25,000 immigrant workers per year will happen over the next 10 years under the provincial nominee program.
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) j# p4 u6 Q! t% z7 r" h% s! fRight now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program. 4 ^3 z4 b/ ^: G
. m0 S3 @8 ^9 G6 \2 {8 xFederal 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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1 f$ l' A& A( g' s; _4 F0 nIt’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. ! M# ~' v4 ~+ m f
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But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. 1 S) U: H; \$ K7 p
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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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! y$ K, }! X& R* t& |" @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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