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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html5 X9 l1 i2 N+ e' |6 J& ]! z1 t
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2 l/ ~/ K( |8 K4 SCALGARY — 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. 8 \2 H p6 [ ]; x3 X
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Right now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program.
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Federal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. / s4 L% _( \) a/ F! M, f. h% p
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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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, U7 Q4 j5 O' _0 ?* xIt’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. L9 k: e8 w/ s
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But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. 8 g, [7 K7 e. @; z- }
0 b0 O/ X' V8 d1 T) |+ J% M* f“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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6 c% o" O3 t- _3 J7 P$ AStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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