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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. 5 o+ k" P+ v, Y `* C+ Z
$ B1 h; k) Z8 M2 `Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach says the agreement will cut red tape and give the province increased influence and control of immigration. : ~0 o* w+ i; `. z' [# r: U
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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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# ]5 N% A3 O& f: V' {: p) QRight now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program.
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1 d% N) F8 y7 l- VFederal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. 0 T9 F+ R9 R: x9 K4 Y: g4 S3 f
% X6 o( ]0 u p' N( jThe 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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2 `' Y6 L6 G9 d! j6 [) GIt’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. 7 w; C) l# k6 j2 J* u" s
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But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers.
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! O$ g* w2 K2 J, `“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said.
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. o- \# n7 u, S/ T, 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.”
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: ]% J- k$ O+ @/ [. Z: jStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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