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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html
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/ n7 a" p# A pCALGARY — 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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( V- Y4 D& ?" ^& ?3 s$ Y$ `; ~Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach says the agreement will cut red tape and give the province increased influence and control of immigration. & @8 O. `* m9 k8 x4 x
, z; g6 W& j9 K( d" zThe rise to 25,000 immigrant workers per year will happen over the next 10 years under the provincial nominee program.
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# R( B3 B R0 g {" }Right now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program. 9 q8 g' `! C5 g M/ j$ {0 R
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Federal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. / A3 c; C% d+ F5 G$ d: f5 ~: u
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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. * J& Q" b. {4 z
# X; S, x' f+ o5 v, g" G0 M; p0 dIt’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. 4 a8 `& ~) f3 p1 o! o" e5 T& u
. o( f6 S" q# M" a: q7 {But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. ! a( ^. k, B& ^# \2 k
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“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said. 4 d) b) [; s: D8 c6 b
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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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0 N. n/ }& r% ~! V# ZStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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