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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html3 r9 ? k; q0 i/ b
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% @8 i! K+ B! {8 P% f4 I2 z. u9 tCALGARY — 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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' \/ T5 ?; S2 o2 Y+ _! {( hAlberta Premier Ed Stelmach says the agreement will cut red tape and give the province increased influence and control of immigration. 6 M& l- Q" o3 A- n8 F
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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.
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, T$ E$ w' a* J' K$ ZRight now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program.
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0 a7 H; Y% t) G6 _- R6 W8 g' nFederal 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. . t- V1 _( \; C! u0 m( u3 ~5 y
" W2 n! l0 C7 cIt’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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3 L, ]! g1 @' w" U. L/ oBut 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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“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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3 z: M8 B7 u. M8 @9 @ q' 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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