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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html& a. [% @5 y# [; U
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9 _7 I1 A2 y, c% f$ h$ s# yCALGARY — 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. 6 w; _# f: I9 d# T
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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. 6 G2 S# W; V# K+ I8 a
" m) a7 g8 J4 `The rise to 25,000 immigrant workers per year will happen over the next 10 years under the provincial nominee program. $ ?0 i9 M$ ^+ d4 U" N' a/ P
; y7 s' N! l! |+ {3 p* m# }Right now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program.
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Federal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. / X+ k) r4 R: w0 r3 u' G
+ p+ s! E' ?8 P# e) @3 R8 FThe 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. . G" ~& ~! _" u* \/ b
4 b% s. }9 J. F1 |' }It’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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1 M1 z T: k p* ~But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers.
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( F! j; _, b- K! R- R2 U8 ^/ a“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said. % A* @( X ?% g" V! x# U) j
" Z9 I" I9 V3 [2 ]2 g“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.” 4 k! P! I5 E6 {8 ~/ N
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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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