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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html1 @( v. b9 c& a
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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. % W" |- D/ {+ {* b' o
' S- q) V0 X2 CAlberta Premier Ed Stelmach says the agreement will cut red tape and give the province increased influence and control of immigration.
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6 M: F* _/ k K* g5 \4 RThe 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. ! X* d4 U* U# x9 ?8 k
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Federal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. % q8 m7 F8 |7 h
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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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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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8 S( M* C/ A% y0 k4 r5 _But 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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. U; E0 B3 J0 ~) G' ~: U7 Q9 X“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.” & `1 p0 d; g w+ f q% V2 @
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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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