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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html
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" ~. ~; e& r7 C" BCALGARY — 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. % L$ Z* ~. u& G* r! c0 G! A; K
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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. " ^, t# y' A3 S( A
2 A7 _! }) \. z0 B/ nRight now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program. + T; b0 n& C& p8 b8 Q d o* t* g
% t, Z* K, H. ]! _( dFederal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada.
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; K* F/ k" I( K* pThe 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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1 G3 @/ h& ?5 w+ s l" A( NIt’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. ' Y& g# u; M4 @/ L& B
2 N$ ^' [4 a* o/ u: @; WBut 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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% B- {& j# ?; {& F( {5 Z“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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" }9 _' f9 \( C6 a3 @ MStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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