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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html
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8 j2 ^% U5 Z; h) pCALGARY — 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. 8 K y6 h! M p. {) U; _* Q: J
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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.
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8 N) ^* B$ f V5 EThe rise to 25,000 immigrant workers per year will happen over the next 10 years under the provincial nominee program.
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+ _8 `% I& j# ^4 g( WRight 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. + ~ C- I) R7 c2 h
& x( n5 ]8 O f$ a( Z# S, R( ?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.
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& A1 d' v+ Y4 Z+ L' U/ }. P% 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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But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. & e5 a7 R7 ]( }# E( f# H
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“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said. 2 _2 F3 H) Y; l9 @( `1 O
0 {; E @- Y& |“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.” * @; B" c4 U1 e
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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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