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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html
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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. 0 J$ n& s: p1 V% r
' j9 l c$ b5 l" l* X. j }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.
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Right now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program. 9 v, B7 b4 O/ {6 E
9 R% [7 X; S/ } D- {0 AFederal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. 7 S% Q& o, i' d* g# r% ?
. u( V% G7 {+ eThe 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. - x7 S4 k2 f0 z( Y8 ^
1 e& c @* g S aIt’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. ' K3 B. @9 y8 E$ a* t' E& y4 W
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But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. * o, m G, j- B4 C8 o4 g- m
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“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said. " @" M9 O4 Z9 f8 }7 E8 Q
# b) g, {4 i& A0 T8 k/ r' s; m“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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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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