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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html
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7 E" m+ v( y" l1 Y; W I' ~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. . A+ r+ h, b A! U8 G
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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. . w3 C+ A/ K0 z( w+ y
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Right now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program.
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0 c3 N A0 V1 L! g0 M VFederal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada.
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- \, K- r2 o6 T7 @" YThe 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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/ g6 {! o# @" b- 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. ' J7 z- Y3 j6 d3 C+ G3 ~( R
4 s3 P! }9 j5 j6 m$ P( yBut Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers.
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“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said.
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( [; w- u3 F/ H. u“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.” 5 o( z: W4 [. s' Z' L/ X
$ R4 f, C- Y; M, o1 C0 sStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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